AFTERMATH
by Donna McIntosh
Summary: It's all over. The aliens won and everyone is struggling for survival.


Title: AFTERMATH

Title: AFTERMATH

Author: Donna McIntosh

Email: 

Fandom: X-Files

Pairing: K/S & M/Sc

Genre: Slash

Rating: NC-17 FRAO

Status: Complete

Warning: No graphic sex so if you're looking for that you've come to the wrong place.

Summary: The aliens won and everyone is struggling for survival.

Beta: Many, many thanks to URSULA for all her help in catching my typos, misspelled words, holes in the story line, punctuation errors, etc; and most of all for the rapid-fire speed with which she did it all!

AFTERMATH (Chapter 1 of 11 chapters)

When the invasion came it caught them all off guard. There had been rumors, hints over the years but no one in a position of power had believed them. It couldn't happen, they all said. We had the most advanced warning systems in the world. No one could sneak up of the US!

They were wrong. They were all wrong. In a matter of ten days it was all over. The aliens simply came down en masse, over taking every seat of power on earth. The struggle was fast and furious, the carnage heavy. Every President, Premier, Prime Minister, every royal family, all Governors, all Generals, all Admirals, every police man in every country were identified and immediately eliminated in the first few days.

Within a week 'internment camps' began to spring up all over. Every military base was first cleared of anyone in uniform, and then used as a camp, the fences around them electrified. People had been rounded up by the truckloads and brought in. Any back talk, any disobedience at all was punished by on the spot execution with what eventually came to be called the 'fire wand'. The situation was dire for human kind.

xxxx

The lowering of the landing gear woke Krycek as it always did. This was not his stop but he needed to be awake and aware to check out whoever boarded the plane. He didn't expect any trouble out of Denver but you never could tell. Two flight attendants were scurrying about whispering to one another. Something was up. They were frightened about something. He could see it in their eyes and their 'controlled panic' movements.

The girls disappeared behind the curtained off area and came out again a few minutes later. One of them made an announcement that there was some trouble at the Denver airport and they were going to have to land at an alternative air port. She quickly disengaged the microphone and slipped out of sight again while the passengers barked their complaints.

The next nearest airport that could handle a plane that size was Boulder, less than thirty minutes away. As the plane banked for the change in direction he saw it -- the flames and smoke. It looked like the entire city of Denver was afire.

He wiggled his fake F.B.I. I.D. card from the heel of his shoe, stuck it in his pocket and made his way up to the cockpit. He showed the card to the flight attendants and insisted on speaking with the pilot. Every one was on edge and one of the flight attendants had obviously been crying.

The cockpit was chaos. Calls were coming in that were garbled, screaming warnings about an invasion. The pilot was sweating and shaking so hard Alex thought he might pass out at any moment; the co pilot staring straight ahead in a state of shock. There was no speaking with them; nothing to be done. They turned to him asking him what they should do. He told them to head for Boulder and they would see what happened then and that the important thing right now was to get the plane on the ground.

He went back to his seat and some time later one of the attendants signaled him to come up front again. As soon as the cockpit door closed behind him the pilot yelled in a shrill voice, "Boulder is ablaze too! What are we supposed to do now?"

"Just find a smooth flat place and land this thing."

"I can't do that! Do you have any idea how heavy this plane is? We need a runway!"

"From what we've seen and from what that radio is saying, there isn't a runway around that isn't in flames. If you want to live and if you want to save the lives of all your passengers I suggest you find a nice field somewhere."

"I can't land this thing in a field!" The pilot shrieked.

"Then I suggest you start praying." Krycek made his way slowly back to his seat. He sat and wondered if this was it for him. He didn't feel any panic; just anger. He had so many things left that he wanted to do. He just couldn't believe his time was up already. The fact that there was an invasion, if indeed that's what it was, didn't surprise him all that much. It had been threatening for decades. People had become complacent, didn't believe it would ever happen, not in their life time. They got lazy.

One of the passengers shouted, "Look, Boulder is on fire! Just like Denver! There's no place to land! We're going to run out of fuel and crash!" Panic set in and everyone was jumping around, going from window to window. There was sobbing, shouting, cursing.

A flight attendant came out and made an announcement. She was clearly distraught, her make-up stained with tears. "May I have your attention please?" A few passengers started shouting questions at her but Krycek stood up and shouted them down.

"Let's hear what she has to say!"

"There seems to be some major – circumstances going on below and we have been advised to land the plane at the first possible opportunity. There seems to be no airports available so we will be attempting a field landing."

"What the hell's a field landing?" Someone yelled.

"Exactly what it sounds like." Krycek said. "Landing in a field."

"You can't land a plane this size in a field. We'll all be killed." Someone yelled.

"We don't exactly have a choice here, Sir. There are no air port runways available."

"What about a highway somewhere?" Someone asked.

"All of the highways seem to be jammed with traffic fleeing the cities."

"Can't we just fly to another air port?"

"Our fuel supply is limited and from the calls we've been receiving, they all seem to be in flames."

"Where's the pilot? Get him out here." Someone yelled.

"I'm right here." The uniformed man stepped out into the aisle to speak. "We are all terribly upset and alarmed, the same as you all are. We don't know what's happening down there. We're getting nothing on the radio but garbled messages about an invasion of some sort."

Someone shrieked and wailed in terror, others began to argue and shout.

"Please, please control yourselves. Remember that I am in this air plane too and I want to live as much as the rest of you do. We have about two hours of fuel left. It has been suggested that we find a field somewhere and attempt a landing. Right now, that's looking like our best choice. If you have any better suggestions, I'd like to hear them."

The crowd was silent except for the sobbing and mumbled curses.

"Very well then. I'm asking that you all prepare yourselves for … a difficult landing. Please put anything away that could become a projectile and injure yourself or others. I promise you, I will give this my best shot." With that he turned and went back into the cockpit.

The flight attendant wiped tears from her eyes and began her well learned and practiced procedure of calming down the passengers and preparing them for a crash landing.

Krycek tightened his seat belt, gritted his teeth and prepared himself for the end. Two hours. They had to find someplace to land this plane or it would be all over for him and everyone else on board. The pilot kept the plane at a dangerously low altitude so they could scan the horizon. About ninety minutes later the flight attendants came through again checking on every one. They had found a field and were ready to attempt a landing. Everyone held their breath and someone started praying; others joined in.

Krycek watched as the plane banked slowly to the left then started its descent. He could see fewer and fewer buildings now and knew they were on the outskirts of town. He hoped there would be some large field out there somewhere long enough to land this plane.

They were over open ground now and he could see it passing beneath them. Here and there a road jammed with cars. He felt the pilot power back and knew they were slowing down. It would all be over with soon. This was a hell of a way to go, he thought. He closed his eyes for a moment then felt the first bump as the tires hit the ground. Out the window he could see what looked like corn plants slapping at the side of the plane. They were going too fast! The ground beneath them was rough and they bounced in their seats, he heard screams and sobs; the screeching of brakes and the smell of burning rubber filled the air. The jostling of the plane caused the oxygen masks to deploy and they dangled like jeering specters in front of every one.

With one final jerk the plane stopped. There was dead silence at first then everyone began with the questions again. The pilot came out of the cockpit followed by the rest of the crew and Krycek unbuckled and joined them.

"What now?" The pilot asked Krycek quietly.

"Now we get our asses off this plane and get ourselves over to those woods." Krycek said after taking a quick look out windows on either side of the plane.

"All right now, ladies and gentlemen. I suggest we all deplane and decide where to go from here." The pilot tried to calm the angry passengers.

"I'm not going out in that corn field!" Someone yelled. "They'll send someone for us. Why don't we just wait in here?"

Krycek held his hands out to quiet every one down. "Did you people **not** hear him when he said there was some sort of invasion going on? You are not safe here! If they hit all the air ports, don't you think they will be coming after all the planes as well? I, for one, am leaving this spot as soon as the flight attendants get those chutes deployed. I'm not staying around here to be taken prisoner. And if those in charge of the invasion are who I think they are, they won't leave many of you alive, especially those of you in uniform. I strongly advise you to remove them immediately.

Six Army men stood up and pulled off their shirts and tossed their caps out of sight. One of them yelled. "Where are you going? We're going with you!"

"That's the first smart thing I've heard so far. Come on. Anyone else who wants to is welcome to come along. The rest of you, well, good luck."

The door was open and the escape chute was out and down went several passengers. "Come on, come on." Krycek urged. Four young men wearing football jackets went down, two women, two more men, another woman."

"What about you, Captain?" Krycek asked the pilot.

"I can't go unless they all go. My duty is to stay with the passengers." The rest of the crew nodded their heads in agreement.

"It's your choice. But if you stay, I strongly suggest that you get out of those uniforms. Take a seat back there somewhere and act like passengers. If there is anything that identifies you as pilot and crew, burn it. And don't waste any time, do it now." With that, Krycek slid down the chute and into the corn field.

The woods were about a hundred yards away and they had barely made it when they heard the trucks pulling up. The aliens climbed on top of the trucks and entered the plane.

"Damn!" Krycek cursed.

A soldier standing beside him asked, "Who do you think they are? What nationality? Look at those faces; I've never seen anything like that before and I've been all over the world."

Before he could answer, two men and one woman were pulled out of the plane, shoved down the chute and two aliens on the ground pointed at them and fired. They immediately burst into flames. Screams could be heard from the plane and the soldiers bristled. "We've got to do something!"

"There's nothing you can do." Krycek said. "Anyone who apposes them is immediately killed."

"You've seen them before?"

"I have. You can believe this or not but they are aliens." Everyone in the trees gasped and watched as one by one the passengers were shoved down the chute and loaded up in the trucks.

"Where do you think they are taking them?" One of the soldiers asked.

"No telling. I just hope they keep their mouths shut and do what they are told and they might get out of this alive."

One of the women with them in the woods began to weep. A flight attendant went to her and tried to comfort her. "You really think they're aliens? Like from Mars or something?" She asked while massaging the weeping woman's shoulders.

"Not from Mars. A lot farther away than that but yes, they are aliens." Krycek answered and wiped the sweat off his upper lip with the back of his hand.

"Well what are we going to do?"

Just then they heard a loud whooosh and the plane went up in flames. The trucks started up and headed off in the direction they came from. They watched them go and saw several people jump from the back of the truck and disappear in the tall corn. The trucks kept on going and soon the jumpers joined the others in the woods.

"What the hell are we going to do?" Everyone crowded around Krycek for answers.

"Damn! I lost my cell phone," someone said.

"Don't anyone use their phones. Transmissions can be easily traced. You'll bring them right down on us." Krycek warned as he paced and tried to figure out what to do.

"We need to find a safe place," Krycek mumbled as he paced.

"Where? Where can we go that they can't find us?" Someone asked.

They stood around muttering, in shock for a while then a voice from the back said, "I know a place."

"Near here?" Krycek asked?

"About … seventy miles or so north west of here. It's in the Williams Fork Mountains. A valley. Very hard to find."

"How did you find it then? If you found it, they'll find it." Someone said.

"My brother is a pilot; flies a small two engine job. We flew over it once and saw it. Saw there was nothing there, no buildings, no signs of life. So we set out one day and hiked up to it. It's a really beautiful little valley, completely circled with mountains, no roads anywhere near it. We had to hike in about fifteen miles, if I remember correctly, from this tiny little town."

"And you say it's miles from any major town?" Krycek asked.

"It's at least fifty or sixty miles from any town of any size. And about fifteen miles from that little town, heck, it might not even be considered a town. It's more like a stop in the road."

"So there would be no roads out to it or anything – no telephone lines, no traffic of any kind?"

"That's right."

"We might just get lucky enough and they won't be looking too hard." Krycek said; satisfied that this was their best bet.

"I just want to go home. Do you really think these … aliens are all over, everywhere?"

"Do you want to risk finding out?" Krycek asked.

"Maybe a few of us could go into town, scout around and see what we find." One of the soldiers said.

"All right. Sounds like a good idea," Krycek agreed then added, "Which direction will you head?"

They all looked at each other and shrugged their shoulders.

"We are ninety minutes due west of Boulder, out in the middle of no where. I suggest we head north west. When we come to a town, a few of us will go in and investigate; see what's happening."

"I think we should head south to Denver." Someone said.

"Denver's in flames. It's already been hit. Looks like they are taking on the bigger cities first. The smaller towns will come next. If we leave now, we just might make it to safety before they get out this far." Krycek said.

"So we're heading north west, where? Out to that hidden valley he was talking about?" One of the men asked.

"Do you have a better suggestion?" Krycek asked.

"Yes! I say we send someone into town, contact the authorities and have them send someone out to pick us up."

"Where is town? Which direction?" Krycek asked him.

"Hell, I don't know. Doesn't anyone know?" The man asked the crowd. No one answered.

"OK. I'm tired of this debate. So far, the only suggestion I've heard that I like is the hidden valley. If it truly is hidden, they might just miss it. I think it's our best bet. Do you think you can find it again?" He asked the man who had suggested it.

"Sure. But like I said, it's at least seventy miles or so."

"Then we'd better get started," Krycek said.

"What will we do when we get there? He said there was nothing there." Someone in the crowd asked.

"There are no buildings, no roads, nothing. But there is a river running through it, with some delicious trout; there are woods with game." The man who found the valley said.

"And what will we catch those fish with or kill that game with? I don't see you carrying any fishing poles or carrying a rifle."

"We can pick those up as we go along." Krycek offered. "I'm heading north west and I'm leaving now. The rest of you can do whatever the hell you want." Krycek turned and started out. First just the guy who suggested the valley walked with him. Eventually they all joined in the trek and headed out.

"He said it was seventy miles. Are we going to have to walk seventy miles? I'll never make it that far." Someone complained.

"Maybe we could find a vehicle of some kind – a bus or a truck?" Someone asked.

"Let's just wait and see what we find when we get to the first town." Krycek said as he led the way through the trees.

They made it five miles before they had to stop and rest. Everyone groaned and threw themselves on the ground. One of the soldiers came up to Krycek. "We'll never make it at this rate. Why don't my buddies and I go on ahead? We're used to trekking through the country side; these people are not."

"I've got a better idea. How about just you and me going. I can see some buildings over that way. There must be some kind of town. Let your buddies stay with the group and watch over them so that they don't do anything stupid."

"Ok. Looks to be at least another five miles ahead. We should be able to make it there and back in an hour or so."

"Uh huh. If we don't run into any trouble. If we do, then your buddies can take the group on west." Krycek said.

The soldier went back to his buddies and told him the plan. There were some raised voices but in the end, it was just Krycek and Staff Sgt. Peterson who made the run. Before they left, Krycek made everyone give him their cell phones. He didn't trust them not to try and make a call.

They made the run through the brush and weeds in good time and walked carefully the last quarter of a mile. The little town was full of aliens all right and they were loading up the people into trucks and hauling them away.

The two of them stayed hidden and watched as every building was gone through and people were dragged out into the street. Anyone who protested was set ablaze immediately. After half a dozen burnings, the townspeople went silently.

Sgt. Peterson trembled where he knelt in the weeds as they watched. Krycek watched with gritted teeth and silently cursed all the powers that be who refused to listen to the warnings they were given. Just when things seemed the worst, the aliens loaded up and moved out; all of them.

"Do you think they all left?" Peterson whispered.

"I don't see any guards. If they did leave, this will be the perfect place to spend the night. It'll be dark soon and we've get to get that group into shelter somewhere."

"Agreed."

"Let's check the town out first and make sure they are all gone. Stay behind me and keep down." Krycek said.

The town had one main street about a mile long and a couple of shorter side streets. They checked out every building. They found several seared bodies but no one alive and no aliens.

"I think it's pretty safe. Let's get on back and bring them up. We can spend the night there in the general store. There should be food and water." Krycek said and they headed back to the group.

It took an hour and a half but they finally got all twenty five people into town and into the General store. They groaned and complained all the way but grew silent as they filed past the charred remains lying in the middle of the road.

Krycek, Peterson and his buddies, got food out and passed it around to everyone. Several said they weren't hungry but Krycek insisted they eat, saying no telling how long it would be before they had food again.

They posted guards at either end of town while the others rested and tried to sleep. Krycek paced the floor and his eyes kept coming to rest on the rack at the front of the store holding six bicycles. If only there were more! When Peterson came in off guard duty, Krycek shared his idea with him.

"It sounds good but there are twenty five of us and only six bicycles."

"There must be some more around, maybe in the back still in boxes or in some of these homes. Why don't we take a walk and see what we can find."

By morning they had a total of fourteen bikes. They assembled some new ones and refurbished the older bikes they found and put off-road tires on all of them.

"We've got to come up with some way to carry some supplies," Krycek said as the last bike was ready.

"One of them belonged to a paper boy. We can carry some food in that one. A couple others have small baskets in front." Peterson offered.

"Yeah, that's good. But we need more. See if you can find front baskets for all the bikes. Every little bit of storage space helps." He tossed an empty tire box into the trash. His eyes caught and held. "What we need is something this size." He lifted up the plastic trash can.

"Why not those?" one of the soldiers said. "There's a whole stack of them over there. If we could find some way to mount them on the back …"

"Good idea." Krycek agreed. "Ok. Get working on it. Bring those over here. See if we can find a way to mount one on either side of the back fender."

Two more hours of work and they had two plastic trashcans mounted securely to the back of each bike.

"What are you going to do with those?" One of the men asked as everyone started to wake up.

"We've got fourteen bikes. Fourteen of you will ride; the rest of us will run along side." Krycek answered.

"I haven't been on a bike in thirty years!" one man scoffed.

"Ok you can run then." Krycek said.

"Now wait a minute. I've got as much right to ride as anyone else does." The man backed off.

"It's already been decided." Krycek said and stuffed another bite of sandwich in his mouth.

"What do you mean? What's been decided? Don't we get a vote?"

"Sure you do. Here's what we decided. Fourteen ride bikes and carry supplies. Eleven of us run along side. That eleven is: me, the six soldiers and the four football players." Anyone have any objections?"

"Not me. I love to run." One of the football players said and his friends nodded in agreement.

"OK. That's settled then. You riders, go ahead and pick your bikes. Ride them around the store a little and get used to them. We'll start loading them shortly."

A couple of the women stood and stared at the bikes. Krycek realized they were in dresses and heels riding would be very difficult for them.

"Listen, why don't those of you not dressed for a bike ride, find some jeans and boots and change."

That put a whole new perspective on things for the women and they scavenged through the shelves and racks for suitable clothing. A couple of men in business suits or slacks did too as well as the soldiers who were in their standard GI tan pants and T-shirts after tossing their uniform shirts.

"Excuse me, but what is your name?" The guy who knew about the valley asked Krycek.

"Krycek. Alex Krycek."

"I'm Samuelson; a photographer. That's why I was so interested in that valley. It really is beautiful but it was really cold. Do you think it would be all right if we took some of these warm clothes? Some jackets, coats and sweaters? We're going to need them up there."

"I think that's a great idea." Krycek began going through other items in the store and found a shelf full of large back packs.

"Ok, everyone. I want each of you to take one of these packs and go through the store and find a change of clothes each. Make it warm. And when we leave here, I want everyone wearing one of these coats." He held up a heavy duty cammo coat. "There are a lot of pockets and you're going to need them. These two on the sides, I want you to put a water bottle in each. We'll carry lunch and snacks in the other pockets. Are any of you on any medications?"

They all shook their heads no as they each caught the back pack Peterson tossed them.

"That's good. Ladies, if you need any personal products, there are some over there. Get whatever you can carry in your back pack. Everyone needs a change of clothes, preferably jeans. Men, if you plan on shaving, I suggest you put together a shaving kit. Don't forget toothbrushes and toothpaste. Whatever will make your life more comfortable while we're traveling and whatever you can carry."

"What about food?" Someone asked. "I'd rather carry food than clothes."

"We're carrying food in the baskets attached to the back of the bikes. I'm hoping as we go along to find more bikes for the rest of us so we don't have to run all the way."

Krycek grabbed some extra clothes up for himself along with a shaving kit and tooth brush and paste. Once each had filled their packs they began deciding on what food to take.

"What about a little camp stove? It might come in handy." Samuelson said. "I can carry it in my basket."

"Ok, good. Has anyone seen a first aid kit? We should take one of those." Krycek asked.

"How about some extra tires and a bike repair kit in case of flats?" One of women suggested.

"Good. Grab some. You can carry it in your front basket."

"Flash lights?" Someone asked.

"Yes! Everyone get a flashlight and don't forget to grab as many extra batteries as you can fit in your pockets." Krycek called to them as he continued looking through shelves.

He found a shelf with a box of small manual can openers and told everyone to get one and not to lose it as they would probably be eating a lot of canned goods. He also insisted everyone carry a compass in case anyone got separated from the group they would know how to find the rest of them.

A first aid kit was found and it was loaded into someone's basket then Krycek joined the soldiers who were looking over some hunting rifles.

"What do you think?" Peterson asked Krycek.

"Take them. Don't forget ammunition." He stopped at the knife display and brought out some hunting knives. "These might come in handy too." He pocketed one and nodded for the Army guys to do the same. He then picked out a rifle and stuffed some shells in his pockets. Samuelson came over and took the last rifle and some shells. The foot ball players each took a knife but no one else wanted anything to do with weapons of any kind.

Everyone grabbed sandwiches and snacks and filled their pockets. By mid morning they were off.

Krycek, two soldiers and two football players led the way, one soldier was on either side of the group and watching out for the rear were two soldiers and two foot ball players.

It took them nearly two hours to make it to the next town, twelve more miles covered. The group settled down groaning and complaining in a clump of trees and waited while Krycek and Peterson crept the rest of the way into town. It was about four times larger than the last town but it was just as empty. They did find four more bikes though and stayed there long enough to attach plastic trashcans to the backs of each bike and load them with food and water. They returned to the group and Peterson escorted two others back to town and they brought the other two bikes out.

The group begged to stop for a few hours rest but Krycek insisted that they push on. They had only covered thirty miles so far and had at least another forty to go. Two more hours ride and they had to stop. They were all exhausted. They rested on some rocks and ate lunch. A couple of them dozed off.

Krycek sat munching on his trail mix, astonished at his luck at surviving the plane landing. Every instinct told him to run but there was just something about this group he had found himself saddled with. He couldn't leave them to be slaughtered. The six soldiers were capable enough but obviously inexperienced in any dire situations. The four football players were still in their teens but even though they were obviously scared to death, they kept their heads and did what they were told without complaining. The seven women were all more than willing to let the men make the decisions. A few were weepy but they all kept up and helped one another along. It was a motley crew all right and at any other time he would have bolted and left them in the dust. But this time, everything was different. If he left then, they would scatter and end up captured or dead.

"How far do you think we've come?" Samuelson sat down beside Krycek and asked.

"Somewhere in the neighborhood of between thirty five or forty miles." Krycek said as he nibbled on an energy bar.

"You really think we can drag this entire group another thirty or forty miles?" Samuelson asked Krycek.

"I didn't think they'd make it this far. And besides, it's not like they have much of a choice. Where would they go? I doubt any of them would want to be left behind. We're moving slowly but steadily. We've got another couple of hours in us before we have to find a place for the night. Maybe we'll get lucky and find an abandoned house or something."

"Some of them look like they're really hurting. I don't know if you'll get another couple hours out of them."

"They'll ride or they'll spend the night out here alone." Krycek said.

"Given that choice, I think they'll ride." Samuelson agreed.

His suggestion of another few hours ride was met with protests but when faced with the prospect of spending the night out there in the middle of nowhere, they agreed to go on.

Another two hours and they could go no further. They collapsed on the ground in pain and exhaustion. It was only mid afternoon but they were clearly incapable of moving another inch. Every mile had taken them to higher altitudes and the temperature was dropping.

"I'm going to scout around and see if I can find some shelter," Krycek said.

"I'll do the same, over this way," Peterson said and the two of them took off in opposite directions.

Thirty minutes later they were both back. They had found a place. Just as Krycek had hoped -- an abandoned farm house. Nothing else around for miles that they could see from the hill it was perched on. It would be safe for the night.

The group got back up wearily and mounted up again and headed for the farm house just the other side of the hill they had stopped on, less than a mile away. They pulled their bikes up the back steps and into a small parlor, just managing to get them all in.

They filled the house, falling on any chair, couch, or cushion they could find. The women were given the bedrooms and the men lay down any where they could, using their packs as pillows. Krycek roused them all and encouraged everyone to eat something before they fell asleep as once it was dark there would be no lights allowed. The place must remain appearing to be deserted.

Krycek ate the second sandwich that he had stashed in his coat pocket, found an un-occupied corner and lay down for sleep. Two football players and two soldiers stood first guard and switched off two hours later. Krycek took third watch after sleeping four hours.

By dawn Krycek and Peterson talked it over and decided the only way they were going to get the group moving again was if they had some hot coffee and a good meal. They found a box of oatmeal and Krycek started the water boiling on the old gas stove.

Slowly, one by one they began to awaken and roused up with the smell of coffee brewing. Soon everyone was scraping their plates clean and asking for more. He cooked up the rest of the box and every bit of it was eaten; along with two loaves of bread they found in the pantry and a jar of home made strawberry jam.

A cold wind was blowing and it dropped the temperature into the low forties. The group groaned and complained and whined but once they realized that they had traveled over forty miles and their journey was more than half over with, they perked up a little.

Off they started and they made pretty good time for the first two hours. They were traveling roughly five miles an hour but had to make more and more stops as aching muscles refused to work and leg cramps slowed them down. Krycek kept them going with a promise that if they could keep up their speed they would be safely in the valley by night fall.

Along the way they had managed to pick up enough bikes so that they were now all riding now and carrying supplies of food and water. They hit a tiny town in late afternoon and Samuelson, all excited, exclaimed, "This is it! This is the little town I was telling you about. We hiked in from here. About fifteen more miles and we're there."

The group was all excited about reaching safety but still a little apprehensive about what they would find when they got there.

"So do we just bypass the town and head out for the valley or do you want to go in and have a look around the town first?" Sgt. Peterson asked Krycek.

"I think we need to check out the town first. A couple of us go in ahead, have a look around, and if it's clear we all go in. We're going to need more than food and water in the valley. Maybe we can find some tents, camping equipment and such."

So it was agreed. Krycek, Peterson and McConnel went in first and had a look around. The place was deserted but the aliens had been there. There were charred remains of bodies here and there.

Once all were in town, they found the small grocery store/general store/post office/gas station and brought their bikes around back and into the back store room to keep them out of sight.

"Remember, no lights. Don't turn anything on, don't try and use the phone if you find one. Any electronic transmission of any kind can easily be traced and bring them right to us."

"Do you think anyone is looking for us?" One of the women asked.

"I doubt it. I think anyone left alive out there is worried about just one thing right now and that's survival. And as for the aliens, I think they have their hands full right now rounding up everyone they can easily find. They will probably start sending out patrols later. We'll have to be sure and keep an eye out for them." Krycek said.

"They'll be easy enough to spot with those ugly faces. And they all looked alike, did you notice that?" Someone said.

"Yeah, each one uglier than the other." Someone answered.

"Ok. Here's what we have to decide now. Do we want to try and make it into the valley by tonight with about another three hours ride? It should stay light that long. Or do we want to stay here the night and risk them coming back and being captured?" Krycek asked the group.

"Which do you think is the best option?" Sgt. McConnel asked.

"If it was just me, I'd go on for the valley. But after we get to the valley, we still need to set up a camp of some sort."

"Let's wait till morning, I'm exhausted." Someone said and others muttered in agreement. Some wanted to go ahead to the valley.

Peterson came up with a suggestion. "Why don't some of us go on ahead and check the valley out. It's only fifteen miles. We should be able to make it there and back before dark."

"All right. I like that idea. No sense in dragging everyone up there if it isn't suitable. For all we know it could be flooded or something."

"Yeah, I was thinking about that." Samuelson said. "This place was my idea and I'm going to feel really guilty if we've come all this way for nothing."

"OK, Peterson. Take a couple of men with you. Samuelson, can you make the trip? It would be really helpful if you could show them the pass." Krycek asked.

"Sure. I can make it. And with just a few of us, we can travel a lot faster." Samuelson agreed.

So four of them took off towards the mountain while the rest of the group found places to lie down and moaned and massaged their sore muscles.

Krycek made the rounds and spoke to each of them to make sure they were all right then went on a surveying trip around the store to see what he could find. Plenty of food still in the coolers so he reached in and pulled out sandwiches and tossed everyone one. He found a pistol in the drawer under the cash register and tucked it in the back waist band of his jeans and pocketed the box of bullets that were with it. His own Sig Sauer had been in his luggage and went up in flames with the air plane. He missed it but this pistol would do until he could come up with something better.

He decided to take a walk and see what else he could find in town. He took the four football players with him after swearing them to follow his orders to the letter. They all agreed and set out. There wasn't much in the small town but there was a Western Auto and a small five and dime.

The Western Auto proved to be a God send. Inside they found several tents; two large, two room tents and several smaller ones. The boys lamented that they would be too heavy to carry on the bikes but Krycek suggested that if they took them out of the boxes, some could carry the canvas while others carried the poles and it would lighten the load considerably. They liked that idea and two of the boys hefted the large tent boxes on their shoulders while the others each carried three or four of the smaller ones. They made it back to the group, deposited their load and started out again. This time, two of the women joined them. Back to the Western Auto they went and loaded up on camping gear including: another camp stove with extra propane canisters, two large coffee pots, half a dozen camp sets of dishes, cups, tableware, a couple axes and shovels, a sledge hammer, and lanterns. They had to make several trips back and forth and others of the group joined them. They also found sleeping bags, bug spray, insect repellant and fishing gear.

"There's no way in hell we can carry all this stuff on the bikes." Someone complained. It was Harry the Taxi driver again. "What does he think we are anyway, pack mules?"

"Oh shut up and stop complaining, Harry. You're alive aren't you? Would you rather be a charred hulk somewhere?" One of the woman said.

"Just relax, everyone. There's nothing that says we have to take this all in one trip. And everything here will be needed for our survival. What would you have us leave behind? The food? The sleeping bags? Have you ever slept on the bare ground before? The temperature is hovering around forty. Once darkness falls, so will the temperature. What about the tents? Should we leave those? What about if it rains or snows? That could happen at any time of the year at this altitude." Krycek said. "We need everything we've gathered and much much more if we're to survive. Once we get the main group settled in the valley, we'll keep coming back until we get what we need."

They heard a noise then and one of the football players that was on guard came running in. "The bikers are back from the valley. They'll be here shortly." He announced then went back out to his watch.

They all stood anxiously and waited for Peterson and his group. They came in out of breath and smiling from ear to ear. Samuelson made the announcement.

"It's as perfect as I remembered!"

Everyone started chattering excitedly.

"What do you think?" Krycek asked Peterson.

"I agree with Samuelson. It's perfect."

"Very well then. I think everyone should get some sleep and we'll head out at dawn."

"Is it OK if we take some things that we need?" One of the women asked.

"Sure, take whatever you want, whatever you can carry. Just remember that we have a lot of extra stuff we need to take too."

The group milled around the store a bit, filling their pockets and packs with whatever they thought they might need. Long after every one else was asleep, Krycek, Peterson and the other soldiers sat up talking.

"You really think we can pull this off?" One of the soldiers asked Krycek.

"You mean keep them all alive? Yeah, we can do that -- at least for a while. We'll have to see just how secure the valley is after we get there. It's going to take several trips back and forth into town to get supplies. And every trip we take exposes us to the chance of getting caught. We're going to have to keep our guard up every minute."

"I think the trips into town should just be us seven and maybe the ball players." Peterson suggested. "We can bring back whatever is needed and we're a lot younger and faster than the others."

"Us seven for sure, the boys and maybe a couple of women -- two of them, what were their names, Maddie and …"

"Marcia," one of them said.

"Yes, Marcia and Maddie both seem to be in pretty good shape and have done very little complaining along the way. The more we take with us, the more we can bring back." Krycek said.

"I don't know. Those boys are so young and inexperienced. They could get into trouble."

"They could if left alone. When we get into town we can split up and each one of us can take one of them with us and keep an eye on them. They seem pretty good at following orders."

"True. Ok. It's my turn for guard duty," Miller said and stood up.

"We all need to get some sleep. Tomorrow will be a big day." Krycek said and went off and found a place to lie down and went immediately to sleep.

The next morning was a blur of last minute activity. Everyone was getting loaded up. Krycek found a bale of twine and was tying everyone's sleeping bag on the bottom of their back packs. Harry was the one to complain again. "I can't carry one more ounce." He said.

"OK. That's fine with me. If you want to sleep on the ground, that's your decision." Krycek said and went on to fastening a sleeping bag to the next person.

"Now I didn't say that," Harry said. "I'm just not as strong as the rest of you. I'm forty eight years old and sit on my ass all day driving a cab. I just can't carry all this stuff and ride a loaded bike too."

"It's your decision, Harry. We're each on our own out here and we have to take care of ourselves." Krycek said as he secured another sleeping bag to one of the women's back pack.

"Couldn't one of the others carry it for me?" Harry whined.

"Which one, Harry; one of the women, or one of the guys carrying the tents, tools and extra supplies along with all their own things?" Peterson said as he duct taped the extra camp stove to his basket.

The heaviest loads went to the strongest. That was the six soldiers and the four football players. They had the tents. The largest ones taken out of their boxes and the canvas draped across the baskets which had been reinforced to carry the extra weight.

Others had the tent poles duct taped across their handlebars. Several had taken lanterns out of the boxes and hung the wire handles over their handlebars carrying one on each side to keep their load level. Alex had the tools taped securely across his handlebars as well as two of the small tents across the back fender, atop the plastic waste baskets filled with food.

"Ok, Ok. I get the point." Harry turned around and allowed Krycek to tie a sleeping bag to his back pack.

"It's not that heavy, Harry and when you're sitting on the bike, most of the weight will rest on the load behind you." Krycek reassured him.

It was mid morning before they got on the trail. Three had gone out ahead to make sure the trail was still clear. They were miles away from any roads so they were relatively safe.

The first two hours of the trip was fairly easy but the closer they got to the mountain, the rockier and steeper the trail became. The last few hundred yards they got down and walked their bikes the rest of the way.

When they all about ready to pass out from the effort, Samuelson pronounced that they were there. "Here?" someone asked. "I don't see any valley."

"It's just beyond these rocks. It's an easy climb, just like walking up stairs." He hopped off his bike and started up a pile of large boulders.

"You expect us to climb a mountain?" One of the women gasped.

"No." Krycek assured them. "Let me go take a look." He hopped off his bike and followed Samuelson up the mountain, surprised himself how easy the climb was. About a hundred feet up and he was at the top looking down into the valley. It was everything Samuelson said it was. They made a quick climb down the other side, to make sure it was just as easy. It was. They hurried back over the pile of rocks and Krycek spoke to the group.

"Well we're here and it's everything they said it was. It's the perfect spot. These boulders are wide and an easy climb. Come on, take a look."

CHAPTER TWO

One by one they started up, with Samuelson leading the way. "You can leave your bikes here and we'll carry them over." Peterson told them.

"Well, thank God for that!" Harry said as he reluctantly began the climb with the others.

"Quit your bitching, Harry. They got us here, didn't they?" One of the women said.

"Yeah, I'll have to give them that." He allowed as they topped out and eyed the valley.

They hurried down the other side, with Samuelson leading the way and the football players helping some of the women along. They stood and gazed out over the great expanse of fields, stream and woods in front of them and not a soul had a single complaint. The place was perfect.

Soon the bikes were hauled over the top and the group started out again across the field and to the rivers edge. "What do you think?" Peterson asked Krycek. "Should we set up camp here?"

"No. We need to be across the river with our backs to the woods. That way we will always be facing this pass in case we have any visitors we can always make a stand in the woods."

"Good idea. Ok. Let's see if we can find a place to cross this river. It looks like it narrows down quite a bit over there to the east." Peterson said pointing off to the right.

They all pedaled towards the east and found a shallow spot where they could cross over some stepping stones. Some of the stones were pretty far apart so they found boulders and carried them out and dumped them in to make extra steps. After a dozen or so there was a pretty good pathway across and over they went. Again the younger stronger of the group made a second trip carrying bicycles across.

Once on the other side they started pedaling until they came to a large open area between trees and stream.

"This is it." Krycek said. "We set up camp here."

Everyone was giddy with relief. They had made it! They all unloaded their packs and threw themselves on the ground while, while Alex, the soldiers, the football players, and Samuelson set about putting the tents up. It was decided that the seven women would share the two large tents and the smaller tents would sleep two men each. They didn't have enough to go around for the men so Krycek and the soldiers did without for the time being and just piled their stuff on the ground.

Once everyone was more or less settled, they broke out the camp stoves and heated up some canned goods for lunch. Most of the group went to their tents afterwards and went to sleep.

Krycek, four of the soldiers, three football players and two women prepared to ride back into town. More wanted to go but Krycek insisted that Samuelson and two of the soldiers stay behind to watch over the group and one of the football players in case there was any trouble they could send him into town for help.

They made much better time and made the trip in less than an hour. They entered the town the same as they had the day before, carefully and a few at a time to check it out and make sure there were no aliens around. The place was still empty.

Once back in town, in front of the general store, Krycek told the women to go ahead and load up on food and anything else they might need. Some of the men stayed as well to load up. Krycek and the others headed out to see what they could come up with. Krycek took one of the foot ball players with him and they went to check out some of the few homes scattered back behind the businesses.

The very first house they lucked out! They found another large tent in a garage. They draped it across the back of one of their bikes and kept looking. Inside the house they found three more hand guns which Krycek took along with the ammunition. While he was stashing those the ball player came out with an arm load of blankets.

"Can we take these? If it gets really cold those sleeping bags might not be enough and these are wool. They should be good and warm."

"Good idea. Tape them on top of your basket." He tossed the roll of duct tape.

A little more digging around and he found a chain saw in a back yard shed. He gave it a pull and it started right up. He shut it off immediately and carried it inside and secured it in his front basket. He found two gas cans and stuck one in each of his storage compartments. One was full, the other was half full.

The next house they found a few more blankets which were added to the first load. They also found more gasoline which they added to the first can making two full five gallon cans. They found a few more shovels, another axe, and some miscellaneous tools that were added to their load. When their bikes were totally full, they headed back to meet the group at the store. Everyone else was there loaded up and ready for the ride back.

"Oh wow, another big tent. Who's going to get that one; Harry?" One of the women asked.

"This one is going to be our supply tent. We need a place to keep our food dry and this is it for now." Krycek said.

"That's a good idea. We found some more small tents so we have enough for everyone now." Someone said.

"Great. Are we ready to head back then?" Krycek said then asked one of the men, "Did you get those purification tablets for the water?"

"Sure thing and I got six five-gallon water jugs that we can use too."

"Great. Ok. Let's go."

The trip back took two hours. It was difficult enough with out the load -- loaded it was a hard ride. They were tired now and loaded down heavily but they made it. By the time they got back everyone was up and milling around wondering what to do next. Most of them came over to greet the others and help carry some of the load back to camp. The travelers were happy to hand over their heavy back packs and to see that everything was all right with everyone.

After unloading they set up the supply tent and moved all the food inside.

"We really need some shelves." Someone said.

"And just how do you think we'd get them here?" Someone else asked sarcastically.

"Easy." Krycek said. "We'll take them apart and haul them in. That will be our first priority when we go in tomorrow."

"We're going back again?" One of the ball players asked with a smile on his face.

"Uh huh. We don't know how long that town will remain empty so we need to get in and out as many times as we can as fast as we can. I'd like to get an early start tomorrow and plan on two trips. One in the morning, then we rest and have lunch and then another in the afternoon. Maybe by then some more will be rested up enough to go in with us, at least for one of the trips."

"Not me. I don't want to ever get on another bicycle as long as I live." Harry announced as he sat on the ground and rubbed his sore leg muscles.

"That's Ok, Harry. You can stay behind. We need somebody to dig a latrine anyway."

Krycek said.

"A what? You want me to dig?" Harry was flabbergasted.

"We all have to do our share, Harry. You don't want to carry supplies; you can dig a latrine. I suggest you go back into the woods about fifty yards. Oh and we'll need two of them, one for the women and one for the men. We're lucky; it looks like the prevailing winds come from the south and will blow all the odors back into the woods."

"Shit," Harry mumbled and got up and went back to his tent.

The others grinned and watched him go then sat down and began to plan for their next excursion into town.

"Are we really going to bring back shelves? That's going to take a long time taking them apart." One of the soldiers said. "Is it safe to spend that much time in town?"

"Maybe we can find some of those light weight plastic units that snap together." Someone said.

"Hey, I saw some of those in one of the garages we were in." The ball player that had accompanied Krycek offered.

"Good. I'm sure there will be more around too. Also, we need to get something to sit on. We'll keep an eye out for lawn chairs. They are light weight, fold up, and should be easy to carry."

"How about a table? I saw a camp table at the store but it was too big to carry."

"What about some card tables?" One of the women asked. "They should be easy enough to tie on the back of the bikes and they are pretty light weight."

"I didn't see any, did any body else?" Krycek asked.

"Not me," the woman said, "but that's the sort of thing people keep tucked away in the back of a closet or in an attic, someplace like that."

"True. And we weren't looking for card tables either so we might have walked right passed one and never thought about it." Peterson said.

"All right then. Tomorrow it's food, shelving, lawn chairs and card tables." Krycek said.

"And more tents if we can find them. Those little tents aren't really big enough for two grown men." McConnel said.

"I agree," Krycek said with a chuckle. "At all times, keep your eyes out for more tents."

"We just took what we saw in the store. They might have more in the storeroom out back." One of the women said.

"That's true," Krycek admitted. "Anybody go into the storeroom?"

Everyone shook their heads no.

"I guess we all thought someone else had." Krycek said.

"I saw it was padlocked so I just went on by it," one of the ball players said.

"Well, a padlock is not the problem. I'll open it up as soon as we get there." Krycek said.

"I saw a set of keys behind the counter," one of the women said.

"Ok. You get the keys and see what you can find in the store room. And don't forget to keep loading up on the canned goods. The bottled water isn't that important now that we have purification tablets. That stream looks crystal clear to me. Let's try and bring back some more five-gallon containers for water too."

The planning all finished they all found a place to sleep and rested for the night. Early morning Krycek was up and fixing two pots of coffee. The aroma brought the other riders out of their nests and ready for the day. A quick breakfast of canned vegetables and fruit and they were off. Eighteen of them made the morning trip.

They did indeed find extra tents in the store room and brought enough out so that each of the men now had his own small tent. They found plenty of the plastic shelve units, took them apart and secured them to their bikes. They filled their side baskets with canned goods, and lawn chairs secured across the top. Tents were taken out of the packages and secured to front baskets and more blankets were found and added to the load.

Krycek brought in two more five gallon cans of gasoline, and someone else carried extra kerosene for the lanterns. Back packs were filled as well with extra clothes, toiletries, and more first aid supplies.

They were about to leave when one of the ball players came out of the store carrying a twenty pound bag of potatoes over his shoulder. "Hey, look what I found." He called to them.

"Is there any more?" Krycek asked.

"Sure is; potatoes, onions, carrots, apples, nuts, tons of good stuff!"

They headed in to the kitchen area of the store and behind a door that looked like a closet door, they found a small store room and a stash of produce. Everyone began hauling the food out to their bikes.

"I wish there was some way we could hook a wagon up to these bikes." One of the ball players said.

"We'd turn over for sure," Krycek said. We might try and rig something up later on but right now we need to just grab what we can get and get out of here. We've been here well over an hour this time and we need to get going. Just take what we can carry and we'll get the rest this afternoon."

So on top of their already loaded bikes, they tied the fresh produce and headed out.

This load was particularly welcomed; chairs to sit on, four card tables to set their food on, extra tents so now everyone had their privacy. Things were definitely looking up.

The shelves were put together quickly and Clark, the bank president, took charge of organizing the stacking and storing of the food. The four who had brought back card tables across their back baskets found them to be very convenient to secure other items on top and decided to look for more on their afternoon run.

Fourteen made the afternoon run. A few more card tables were found and secured to the bikes and stacked with supplies. This time they brought back more tools, some large cooking pans and three disassembled barbecues.

The produce shed proved to be a treasure with large bags of oranges, apples, celery, lettuce, pinto beans, squash, corn on the cob and assorted herbs.

"What about the stuff in the coolers?" Someone asked.

"It's been days now without electricity. It's probably all spoiled." Krycek said.

"What about the frozen stuff? If no body's opened the door, it's probably still all right." One of the women offered.

"Yeah, that's right." Another woman agreed. "We lost out electricity for several days once. Everything in the refrigerator spoiled but most of the frozen stuff was still Ok."

"Ok. Take a look and see. Maybe some of the stuff in the middle might still be frozen." Krycek said.

The three women went to investigate while the others continued securing items to the bikes. A few minutes later they came out carring an ice chest between two of them and several plastic bags.

Krycek opened the ice chest and saw three huge roasts and several packages of hot dogs and sausages. They were frozen solid. The bags contained sausages, bacon and several different kinds of cheese. Krycek felt them and they were still frozen solid.

"There are hams too and eggs; dozens and dozens of them. I wish there was some way we could bring them back?"

"I got it!" One of the men said, "Creels!"

"Creels?" Krycek asked.

"Sure. I saw a bunch of them in the back of the store. Each one should hold a couple dozen eggs. They won't weigh much. We could each hang one around our necks and bring back a couple dozen eggs a piece."

Krycek stared at him and wondered at the simplicity of the idea. It should work. They all went inside and draped a creel around their necks. Each creel did indeed hold two dozen eggs. The egg and cheese compartment being in the center of all the others and held its temperature longer than the rest; its contents were all still very cold to the touch.

"We could stake these creels in the river and it would keep this stuff cold enough not to spoil." The young man said.

"We'd have our own cooler!" Someone said.

"All right. Load up with as much of this stuff as we can carry. There's room in the creels for some cheese and sausage. Just feel things first and make sure they are good and cold. I'm going to see if we can carry a couple more of these Styrofoam ice chests. We don't want to carry it all that way just to have it spoil on the trip."

Three more ice chests were secured to the back of the bikes and filled to the brim. With the biggest load ever, they headed back.

They were exhausted but proud and happy when they arrived back at camp nearly three hours later. The one cook they had among them and two of the women worked up a great dinner for them all using the roasts, cut up in bite sized chunks, lots of vegetables and made huge pots of stew. Everyone decided it was the very best they had ever tasted.

Two of the women who had remained in camp, Debra and Charlene, office workers, came up to Krycek after dinner and broke the news. One of the group was missing.

"Missing? Who?" Krycek started scanning the group.

"The Englishman. I haven't seen him all day and I don't remember seeing him much after we got here." they answered.

"Has anyone seen the Englishman?" Krycek asked the group.

Everyone shook their heads no. "When was the last time he was seen?"

"He shared my tent the first night but I haven't seen him since then." Samuelson said.

"Shit. Well there's nothing we can do about it tonight. Tomorrow we'll scour the woods and the rest of the area." Krycek said. "Did he take his things?" he asked as an after thought.

"Yep. Sleeping bag and all." Samuelson answered. "I should have said something earlier but I just thought he'd found someplace better to sleep and I've been gone on supply runs most of the time and didn't notice he wasn't around."

"We'll look around for him in the morning but if he left, there is nothing that we can do about it. No one has to stay here if they don't want to." Krycek said.

"Where would he go?" Someone asked.

"No telling. Well, he knows where we are so if he wants to come back, he can."

"What if those aliens find him?" Harry asked.

"Then he's either a prisoner or a stain on the road somewhere." One of the soldiers said.

"Enough. Let's get some sleep." Krycek said but he lay awake in his tent and wondered what happened to the Englishman. He didn't seem the kind to bolt.

The next morning there were only twelve who wanted to make the trip into town. That was OK. They were all tired and they were pretty well stocked up on food. Staking the creels at the rivers edge kept the meat, cheese and eggs cold with the frigid water running over them and their supply tent was filling up nicely.

"So what is our main objective this time, Peterson asked as they were hauling their bikes over the rocky entrance to the valley.

"Port-a-potties." Krycek said.

"You're kidding?" One of the soldiers asked.

"Nope. The women have been great about everything and I haven't heard a single complaint from any of them. This is the least we can do for them. I saw some back in that store room. Two or three ought to be enough."

"You think we can haul them on the bikes?" Someone asked.

"Sure. Carrying those card tables flat on the back of the bikes gave me the idea. We can get pieces of wood about that same size, secure them to the bikes and set stuff on them."

"They're going to be pretty heavy."

"I was looking at them and found that they come apart. There are two holding tanks, one for fresh water to flush with and one that holds the waste. I figured if we took those tanks off, they would be a lot lighter. Spread the weight around."

"Oh, man that would be great!" one of the ball players said. "I mean, I don't mind taking a piss in the woods but sitting on a couple of rocks over a hole in the ground to do my business really sucks."

They all agreed and made their way into town. Their plan worked out well and they were able to get the three potties secured easily enough over some plywood they found. They also brought back two large wash tubs, a couple pairs of saw horses and enough pieces of scrap wood to connect the pieces of plywood together to put over the saw horses for a large table. They also brought back rope, hoses, clothespins, detergent, bath soap and toilet paper.

The women squealed with delight at the sight of the port-a-potties and threw their arms around the men and gave them each a hug. Krycek explained that they would need to be emptied every day and the freshwater tank refilled and that everyone would have to take turns doing the emptying. There was a slight ravine at the back of the woods, about twenty feet deep that would be the best place for empting the waste. They all readily agreed and with great pleasure the three potties were set up in the woods.

The two brothers Rick and Randy connected the hoses together and mounted one end out in the middle of the stream. A spigot was attached to a wooden stand they nailed together and with the other end of the hose connected to it and they had running water at the campsite. They put one of the large wash tubs underneath it to keep the camp site dry. This water was for cooking or washing only. The drinking water was kept in the five-gallon water cans with purification tablets added.

They decided to rest for the afternoon as a lot of them wanted to talk and make some kind of plans. The pieces of plywood were nailed together and placed over the saw horses and they had a table big enough for everyone to sit around. Krycek called a meeting and as everyone gathered around he took out a small tablet and pencil and started writing.

"I need to know everyone's name, age and occupation." He said and started making his list.

He put his name at the top.

1. Alex Krycek, 42, agent.

2. Sam Samuelson, 40, photographer

3. Carl Peterson, 26, soldier

4. Jimmy McConnel, 23, soldier

5. Evan Jefferson, 22, soldier

6. Kevin Miller, 23, soldier

7. Tony Andrews, 22, soldier

8. Raymond Martinez, 22, soldier

9. Max Grant, 17, student – football player

10. Matthew Grant, 18, student – football player

11. David Woods, 17, student – football player

12. Ronald Woods, 18, student – football player

13. Teresa Harris, 26, flight attendant

14. Harry Martini, 48, taxi driver

15. Charlene Dawson, 33, office worker

16. Deborah Charles, 36, office worker

17. Maddie Bernard, 24, nurse

18. Marcia Mitchell, 23, nurse

19. Michael Clark, 53, bank president

20. Holly Schuler, 29, grade school teacher

21. Amber Barrington, 32, grade school teacher

22. Rick Sullivan, 26, farmer

23. Randy Sullivan, 28, farmer

24. Bobby Benson, 37, cook

25. The Englishman

"Does anyone know the Englishman's name or anything about him?" Krycek asked the group? Everyone shook their head 'no'.

"Hey look, he's back!" Someone called out.

The smiling man made his way through the field, across the stepping stone bridge, carrying his bike and rode on into camp.

"You decided to come back?" Krycek greeted him.

He greeted the group with the tip of his hat and a cheery smile. "I say -- is that coffee I smell? Might I have a cup? I ran out of groceries yesterday and I'm famished."

"Sure thing, have a seat." Krycek said and poured a cup full of the steaming brew and handed it to him.

"I see we've come up in the world. We have tables and chairs and barbecues and does that gadget really produce running water?" He pointed to the newly installed spigot and sipped his coffee.

"Oh, beastly stuff. I don't know how you Americans drink this when you could have a nice cuppa tea instead. It's so much more civilized."

"What can I get for you?" the cook asked. "You want some eggs and bacon or sausage or some oatmeal maybe?"

"Ha! I wish! Just toss me a can of those vegetables we brought in if you have any to spare."

Krycek grinned. "We really do have the breakfast stuff if you want it."

"Seriously?" The Englishman choked a bit on the coffee. "You have eggs, sausage and bacon?"

"We do," Bobby the cook and Krycek both answered in unison.

"Look, I was just making a list of our group here. I need your name, age and occupation." Krycek asked.

"Oh yes, of course. The name is Preston Ambrose Parks. I'm 44 years young and I'm a geologist."

The rest of the group started asking questions.

"Where did you go?"

"Did you see any aliens?"

"We missed you."

"We're so glad you're back."

"How far did you get?"

"We were ready to rent out your tent."

And on and on until each person had welcomed him with a comment.

Parks continued with his coffee, grimacing after every sip and answering quip for quip.

"I went to see the Queen."

"I called but nobody was home."

"I know, I should have written."

"I knew you'd miss me."

"All around the world and back."

"Just give the bloody thing to Samuelson, nobody can sleep next to that buzz saw."

By the time the quips were finished, a large plate of scrambled eggs and sausage were placed in front of him. His hand stopped half way up to his mouth with the coffee cup. "I say – if this is a dream, it's a real corker!"

"It's no dream, Parks. Dig in. We were just about to have a meeting here. Krycek said.

"Oh bully! My timing is impeccable as usual." He then dug in and the plate was emptied in two minutes flat. "Now that was a bit of all right!" he said, leaning back in his lawn chair with a satisfied grin and a smoothing down his moustache. "And to show my appreciation, I have some jolly good news to share."

"Have you seen others? Did you talk with them?" Krycek asked and everyone went silent to hear the news.

"No, no, dear boy – nothing like that. You see, I'm well aware that I haven't contributed much to this expedition but what I have to tell you will make up for that and be well worth all the money deal old daddy paid for my education." He said with a smug grin.

"What did you find out?" Krycek asked.

"I found a mine!"

"Oh shit!" someone murmured.

"A mine?" Krycek asked in disbelief.

"Let me guess – we're all going to share in the mine and be millionaires?" Someone asked sarcastically. The group began mumbling among themselves in disappointment.

"But wait now! Hear me out. You don't seem to grasp the significance of this find. My Oxford education has finally paid off!"

"That's just great. Next time you see dear old pater, you can tell him that." Someone quipped.

Krycek sat staring at Parks waiting for him to explain.

"All right then, enough of dragging this out. Let me break it down for you. We are in a beautiful life-sustaining valley, surrounded by majestic mountains with only one visible entrance. Do you all agree with that statement?"

Everyone muttered 'yes'.

"Those devils out there will be able to find us easily if they as much as give it half a try. Do you agree with that?"

"What are you getting at?" Krycek asked a little exasperated at the Englishman taking so long to make his point.

"Simple, old boy. We find us a little bang-bang and blow up the pass."

They all stared at him as if he had grown a second head.

"What does this have to do with the mine you found? Is there an outlet into the valley?" Krycek asked becoming more interested.

"Not yet, but there will be in due time." He smiled smugly.

"How?" Two or three people asked the question at the same time.

"Now that's where my education comes in. I'm a geologist. Rocks, boulders, mountains, mines are my specialty. The first few days while the rest of you were busy setting up camp, I was wandering around checking out the rock formations and looking at ore samples. It's obvious this is a prime area for mining activities. It took me two days to find the mine and another to explore the inside with this wonderful little compass you insisted each of us carry.

"Did you find a shaft that comes close?" Krycek asked hopefully – his interest totally peaked now.

"Well, not to say it will be a walk in the park but it can be done."

"What with?" One of the soldiers asked. "Nitro?"

"That would do the trick all right but Nitro is too difficult to find and too unstable for amateurs to handle. I say we use dynamite."

"And where do you propose we get that dynamite?" Someone asked.

"Oh, I don't know but there always seems to be a bit of it lying about when you need it."

"Have you ever used dynamite?" One of the soldiers asked.

"I have." Krycek said. "I can do it."

"Bully for you! I was afraid we were going to have to go find a demo man for the job."

"And as a geologist, you can tell me exactly where to place the charges?"

"Naturally. Of course after it goes boom there will be a lot of back-breaking shovel work but we're a large group here and if we all take turns we can make a job of it."

"How far?" Krycek asked.

"Less than a quarter of a mile."

"That's over thirteen hundred feet! It would take this crew the rest of our lives to shovel that much dirt." Someone said.

"It would indeed but not if we had one of those earth-mover machines, I think you call them."

"You've seen one? There's one in the mine?" Krycek asked.

"There is indeed. I'm sure one of your fine strapping lads can get it running."

"It doesn't work?" Krycek's hopes wilted.

"I didn't say that. I tried it and the motor didn't catch but it's probably been sitting there unused for a good long time."

"An antique." Someone scoffed. "Useless."

"Maybe not," Sgt. Peterson spoke up. "My dad had an old tractor, probably forty or fifty years old. We always managed to keep it running with a little tinkering."

"That's the spirit, lad! If you're ready, I can take you to it right now."

"Now, wait just a minute. Let's get everyone's opinion here and see if we're all in agreement. Do we really want to blow up the pass?" Krycek said.

"Splendid. That will extend my rest period a bit." Parks helped himself to another cup of coffee and sat back down.

At first they were all appalled at the idea of closing up the pass but once they were reminded of the carnage they had seen back at the plane and all along the way their opinions began to turn. It was a lively discussion and everyone offered an opinion.

Once Parks explained that they would indeed take special care to make the mine safe, it was an easy go from there. In the end, a show of hands was asked for and it was unanimous. They would blow up the pass.

CHAPTER THREE

Before Peterson and Parks could leave, they decided to go ahead with their meeting.

Krycek spoke first.

"Now that we're here and relatively safe we need to make some plans. I know you all have questions and suggestions so this is the time to speak up while we're all here and can vote on it. Who wants to start?"

"I do!" One of the ball players stood up. "What about our families? I mean, are we going to try and find them?"

"Nothing would please me more than to tell you we could do just that but you have to be realistic here. Most everyone has been rounded up and trucked off to God knows where. Our only transportation is the bikes. Yes, we can pack up some supplies and go out but we need to know where we're going and we don't have any information about that yet."

"Can't we send people out to get that information?"

"Yes we can and we will. That's one of the reasons why we're having this meeting, to decide what we should do and to set priorities."

"I think our families should be our first priority." Another of the ball players spoke up.

"You are right, certainly but first we must find out where they are and how we can get to them." Krycek said.

"We need Special Ops." Peterson said.

"What's that?" Someone asked.

"A group of soldiers who handle special missions." One of the soldiers answered.

"That's right. They know how to live off the land and can get just about any job done you need. They can't be beat at what they do."

"Do you know where they were last training?" Krycek asked.

"Last I heard there was a group training down around Santa Fe. What are you thinking?"

"That Special Ops guys are pretty darn smart and maybe some of them are hiding out in the hills down there."

"You're thinking we should ride our bikes all the way down there to look for them?"

"Uh huh. We can't spare many though. Three, tops. Peterson will be working on the earth mover, I'll take McConnel with me to find the dynamite and we need to leave one behind in case there's a need to go into town before we get back."

"I'll go," several of the guys said.

"Army only on this trip, boys. It's going to be a long and dangerous trip."

"Do you really think they can find our folks?" One of the ball players asked.

"I don't know. All I do know is it's our best shot right now." Krycek answered then asked, "Are there any other questions or suggestions?"

"You really think you can pull something like this off?" Harry asked. "Ride those bikes hundreds of miles and find some soldiers hidden out in the hills? This is insane!"

"What do you suggest we do, Harry?" The Englishman asked.

"Sit tight and wait for this thing to be over with so we can all go home."

"I see." Parks said then added, "Did any of you think to bring a butterfly net? I think we're going to need it."

"You know where your tent is, Harry. If that's what you want to do, then go do it."

"You said we should speak our minds. I'm just giving my opinion; that's all."

"May I say something?" It was the older farm boy, Randy.

"Certainly, Randy. What's on your mind?" Krycek asked.

"We have no idea how long we're going to be here and those of us staying behind need something to do to feel like we're helping out. It's May, prime planting time. Could we make one more trip into town and see if we can find some seeds and plant a garden? Those fields have good soil and we have all the water we need to irrigate if necessary. The canned goods in that town won't last forever. No sense just sitting around when we could be doing something useful."

"I think that's a good idea, Randy." and to the group of soldiers he said, "Whoever is staying behind can get a group together and go for seed and whatever else you need. I'm sure you can find some around there somewhere."

"In the store I saw a rack with flower seeds. I didn't see any vegetable seeds but I wasn't looking for them and usually when you see flower seeds, there are vegetable seeds as well." One of the women said.

"Ok. Good information. Get your team together and go get your seeds but make sure you follow procedure. Stop in that stand of trees outside of town and look the place over good for any new vehicles or anything unusual before you go in. And don't linger in town and don't change anything or move anything around on the main street. Just get what you need and get out and high-tail it back here."

Then to the rest of the group he said, "Anything else?"

Harry mumbled something under his breath.

"What was that, Harry?" Krycek asked as they all stood and started to leave.

"I was just wondering who put you in charge anyway?"

"Nobody. Would you like to be in charge, Harry? You can be responsible for caring for twenty five people, seeing to it that they stay alive and have enough to eat. Would you like the job?"

"Awww …" Harry gave a disgruntled wave and wandered off as the others snickered and got on with their planning.

Peterson and Parks took off for the mine and were joined by one of the soldiers, Andrews, another shade-tree mechanic who swore there was never an engine built that he couldn't get running.

Krycek began making plans for a longer trip out in search of explosives. This was to be a two-man trip, no more were needed.

"Do you know what we'll need?" Sgt. McConnell asked as they loaded their bikes from the supply tent.

"Yeah, I've used the stuff before but only on smaller jobs. We'll find it. It might take a couple of days but we shouldn't have any trouble getting our hands on some."

"How dangerous will it be carrying it around on these bikes?"

"Not dangerous at all as long as we keep the caps and the sticks separate."

They said their good-byes and set out, each with a rifle scabbard secured to his bike and a pistol to his belt. They headed north and traveling light, they made good time. The first town they came to had have been a thirty mile ride.

They lay in the grass in the outskirts of town and used their binoculars to scan for any sign of life. There was none. This town was quite a bit bigger than the one closest to them but after an hour's searching they came up empty handed.

They sat in a small café and drank warm sodas and opened some canned food they found there. No sense using up their supplies if they could find things along the way that were safe to eat.

"Where to next?" McConnel asked as Krycek studied a map.

"I wish I knew. There is nothing but little towns around here. The only one with any size to it at all is Craig and it's another twenty miles."

"You think we might find some dynamite there?"

"I don't know. I haven't spent that much time in small towns. Is there a phone book around here?" Krycek asked.

"A phone book? I thought we weren't supposed to use the phones."

"I'm not going to call anyone. And I'd bet money the lines are dead anyway." Krycek said. "I just want to use the book. You've seen the commercials, 'Let your fingers do the walking'. That's what I'm going to do. Here it is." He pulled one out from under the counter and started thumbing through it.

"You think you can find explosives in a phone book?"

"It's worth a try. I've found stranger things. There it is, Explosives."

"You're kidding!" McConnell was incredulous.

"Shit. Four addresses and they are all in Craig."

"I guess it's on to Craig then." McConnell said.

"Not tonight. It will be dark soon and it's too dangerous to head out over unknown territory in the dark. We'll spend the night here and leave at first light."

They found a place where they couldn't be seen from the front windows and went to sleep.

The next morning they headed for the small town of Craig. Crouched in the bushes on the outskirts of town, they scanned the area. They circled the town, stopping and scanning in several places. The town was empty. They rode carefully and slowly through town looking for the right street until they found it. Down two blocks was a construction shed, padlocked. Krycek pulled his wallet out and out of the back of it he pulled his set of picks and went to work on the lock. He had it open in less than ten seconds.

"That's amazing!" McConnel said.

"Not really," Krycek said. "It's just a matter of sticking the two rods in and moving the levers. It's simple really. They were standing in the shed trying to decide how much dynamite to take when they heard the motor.

"What's that?" McConnel froze.

"Truck! Get the bikes inside here; hurry!" Krycek said and pulled his bike in. McConnel did the same and they barely got the door closed when the truck passed by. There were no windows so they couldn't see out but they could hear the truck as it passed then took the next street behind them and circled back again. Krycek had his gun in his hand and McConnel drew his as well.

"Have you ever fired a gun at anyone?" Krycek whispered.

"No. But I will if I have to."

"Good. I'm not even sure that bullets will take them down. If it comes to shooting, I'd say aim for the head and keep on firing. One bullet might not do it. Otherwise, keep the safety on and don't take it off unless I tell you. We don't want it to accidentally go off."

The truck drove slowly up and down the streets, block after block. They stood rigid, afraid to move or make a sound that might be heard; sweat poured down their faces and necks. Finally the noise faded away into the distance until it could no longer be heard. They stayed inside another fifteen minutes to make sure they were out of range before they opened the door and peered out. The place was empty again.

They loaded up the dynamite and miscellaneous supplies and were about to leave when the rain started.

"Fuck!" McConnel said. "What happens if this stuff gets wet?"

"Absolutely nothing. It will be useless. We can't leave until the rain stops." Krycek said.

"It could rain the rest of the day and night!"

"Yeah, it could."

They waited for about an hour and it was still pouring.

"Are we going to spend the night in here? I'd hate to be in here if lightning strikes." McConnel said.

They could see the lightning slashing across the sky.

"You're right. This is the last place we need to be right now. This shed is probably insulated but there's no sense in taking any chances. There's a little mobile office building over there. Let's make a run for it. We can stay there until the rain stops. Grab some food out of your pack."

"That sounds good to me!" McConnel was relieved to get out of that shed.

It rained the rest of that day and all of the next. On the third day they started thinking of a plan to cover the dynamite with plastic bags but then gave it up when they realized the fields would be too muddy to ride in and they didn't relish the idea of being mired down out in an open field with a load of dynamite while the storm held.

They spent the three days in the construction shed while the rain poured. On the fourth morning they awoke to sun shine and decided to head out. The going was rough and muddy and with both bikes loaded down with explosives they tried to be as careful as they could. It was a long arduous trek back to the valley and they were exhausted. They were met with the good news that the earth mover was now in running order. They had had to make two more trips into town for parts but they were uneventful. Krycek and McConnel spent the next day curled up in their tents sleeping.

Fortunately there had only been a few days of light rain at the campsite so they weren't disturbed too much. It did solidify in Krycek's mind that their next priority must be to get some proper shelter up and began sketching a plan in the small note book he carried.

At breakfast, most of the group gathered and Krycek broached the subject.

"We need to think about a more permanent shelter here, a building."

"A building? You mean a cabin or something?" Someone asked.

"I was thinking more along the lines of a barracks type building, something that we could heat this winter."

"You think we'll be here that long?" One of the women asked.

"I have no idea, Marcia. But we can't wait until the snow falls to begin building something."

"You expect us to build an actual building? You're dreaming!" Harry scoffed.

"Yes, Harry, just like I was dreaming when I said we could make it seventy miles on bikes, remember?"

"Well that was different. We **had** to do that. We don't have to try and build anything!"

"OK, Harry. When the first snow falls and we are all warm in our building, you can stay out in your tent. Your choice."

"You think we could actually build a building? What with? You planning on cutting down trees for the wood?"

"I was thinking we could go into town and have a look around. Maybe we can find a wagon of some kind, or devise one we could pull or push."

"I've seen some trucks down there. Why not use them?" Someone asked.

"Too noisy. What if the guards came back and noticed them missing?"

"Yeah, trucks make too much noise and can be heard for miles."

"There might be some horses around." One of the farmers offered. "And if there's horses, there is usually a hay wagon near by."

"Oh, I remember seeing a sign that said 'Hay for Sale'," Marcia said. "I guess they would need a wagon or something big to deliver it."

"Probably a pickup with a trailer." Someone said.

"Well, I'm going into town to see what's there. For anyone who wants to come with me, let's plan on leaving in about fifteen minutes." Krycek finished his coffee and headed for the woods.

Fifteen of them set out for the trip that took only a little over an hour when they were fresh and rested up. They checked the town out carefully then fanned out over the place, hitting all the homes they could get to on bikes without going too far out of town.

In about thirty minutes the two farmers came hurrying up to Krycek.

"We found one! We found a wagon and two horses!" They were breathless with excitement.

"No kidding! Hey, that's great! I just wish this little town had a lumber yard." Krycek said, his spirits definitely lifted. Well, go on, get the rig together and we'll see what we can take back on this trip."

Krycek headed back to the general store where the others were beginning to load their bikes with canned goods. He told them about the wagon and asked for suggestions as to what to take back to the group, what would be the most welcome.

Marcia grabbed Krycek's arm and pulled him over to the back storage area. "This!" she declared as she stood beside a large rectangular galvanized watering tank.

"Why a watering trough?" Krycek asked.

"You look at that and see a watering trough; I look at it and see a bath tub!"

Krycek saw it then and agreed.

"I've been eyeing this every time we come in and wished there was some way to get it to the valley. If there is one thing that we could all benefit from, I say this is it." Marcia said.

"You got it, Marcia. Grab one end, I'll get the other. Can you carry it?"

"Sure thing! It's not that heavy, just too darn big for a bike!"

They hauled it out front just as the farmers pulled the wagon up front. It was the first item on. More shelving units were found, as well as more huge cooking pots, a couple of smaller wash tubs that came on a stand and could be used for laundry. Several more water cans and Krycek and the others siphoned gasoline from cars until they had ten more five gallon cans filled and loaded on the wagon. More blankets were found and added to the load as well as several shovels, picks and two wheel barrows.

The trip back took an hour and a half but they climbed over the rocks with triumphant grins on their faces and hauled their take down the other side. They were met by those who stayed behind and help to carry it all over to the campsite. The women jumped up and down when they saw their 'bath tub' and it went immediately into one of their tents.

They were all excited as they ate lunch and began talking in earnest about a building.

Krycek asked but no one in the group had any construction experience at all. He told them he had worked for a construction company while in college and thought they could do it. He showed him the plans for the simple rectangular structure, twenty feet wide and fifty feet long. He explained it in phases; first selecting a site and preparing the ground. Then measuring off the exact area and digging a small trench, six inches deep and four inches wide. Then the mixing of the concrete and insertion of bolts in the wet concrete, he made it all sound simple.

"I agree that all sounds simple enough but what about the rest of it? Have you ever built a building before?" Someone asked.

"I helped build on a room one summer and I assisted on a lot of bigger jobs."

"There's no way you can know how to build a building then!" Harry scoffed.

"Whatever we end up with will be a lot safer and warmer than those tents, Harry."

Someone said. The group was now getting more into it.

"We can do this, if everyone helps. I can't do it alone."

He heard a chorus of "We'll help".

"And if I want to come inside during a storm, I'll have to help too, I take it?" Harry asked with disgust.

"That's right, Harry. But there are a lot of really easy jobs in construction. It isn't all heavy lifting and sawing and nailing. You'll see."

Twelve made the afternoon trip, and this time the wagon was loaded down with what ever power tools they could find plus a small generator and extension cords to power them. Some of the hand tools ran on batteries and they brought all they could find. A few more sets of saw horses, half a dozen ladders of various sizes and several more cans of gasoline were added to the load. The eleven on bikes loaded up with more groceries and brought back stacks of towels and wash cloths and in their back packs; pillows.

McConnel was helping Krycek load the last of the gas cans when he said, "I remember seeing a lumber yard in one of those towns we were in. Do we make our next run there?"

"I was thinking the same thing. It's a much longer run and we'll only be able to do one a day but I think that's what we need to do starting tomorrow morning. I don't know how many others will want to make a ride that long but we can ask them."

"If the two women want to go, they could ride over in the wagon with their bikes. Then they would only have to make the thirty mile ride back." Peterson suggested.

"That's a good idea. I like taking the women with us. That way they can get what ever stuff the women need and we don't have to be digging through the Kotex aisles." Krycek said with a grin."

"I heard that!" Maddie, one the woman who had made all the bike trips in with them, said as she stuffed some last minute first aid supplies into her back pack. "You take a fall or get hurt you'll be glad Marcia and I'm around."

"Yes," Krycek grinned. "I noticed you've gathered enough medical supplies to open up a hospital."

"Well, we could, you know. We're both R.N.s."

"Once we start building, I'm sure there will be lots of need for your services."

"Let's hope not too many," she grinned and they headed out for the valley.

Krycek spent that evening after dinner, firming up his plans and figuring out what supplies he would need. The first trip they would need the thin wood strips for the cement foundation forms and bags and bags of the ready-mix concrete. He figured that would be about all that would fit for the first wagon load.

And so it went, day after day they made the long trip into the next town and brought back stacks and stacks of building supplies and in the few hours of daylight left between supper and darkness they worked. Some worked on the foundation, while others worked in the fields where the farmers had cleared out a large field and got the garden started.

Still others were working on the mine. Parks showed Krycek where to place the charges and Krycek would blast. They went at it a little bit at a time, starting from the valley side. Krycek would set off a couple of charges and the next few days the debris would be shoveled into wheel barrows and pails and hauled to a dumping area below the opening into the valley to make a ramp-like entrance. They fell into their sleeping bags each night feeling like they had really accomplished something.

They all seemed to fit into their roles with ease. The six soldiers well trained in following orders and eager to help out the group in any way needed, were all mid twenties; the four student football players were two sets of brothers and though two only seventeen years old and two eighteen years old, worked right along side the men, pulling more than their share of the load. They were all young and strong and more than willing to help at whatever task they were given. They made every single supply run. As did Samuelson the photographer, aged forty, the two nurses, Maddie age twenty four and Marcia age 23; the flight attendant, Teresa Harris aged 26, and the two farmer brothers, Rick and Randy aged twenty six and twenty eight.

The eldest of the group, the bank president/turned camp supply and record keeper, stayed in camp. He was fifty three years old and like Harry the cab driver, had never done any manual labor in is life. He kept track of everything that went into and out of the supply tent, he gathered fire wood, and helped the cook. He took his turn at emptying the port-a-potties and filling the drinking water containers. He was very likeable and spent a lot of time with Harry encouraging him to cooperate instead of complaining. Some times it worked, some times it didn't.

The two office workers, Charlene and Deborah, both in their mid thirties also mostly stayed in camp. They both knew their way around a kitchen and were more than happy to assist the cook. They made an occasional trip into the closest town but neither of them wanted to make the thirty mile trek. They did help the cook with meals, help with the clean up afterwards and help carry dirt out of the mine and took turns in the field.

The two teachers, Holly and Amber, ages twenty nine and thirty two, were all over the place. They made about half the bike runs, the rest of the time they kept busy around the camp. They worked in the garden, in the mine, and did whatever else around that seemed to need doing.

Parks, aged forty four, kept busy in the mine and came in only to eat and sleep.

And Harry? He grudgingly did what he had to but only just barely. He carried a deck of cards with him and was always asking people if they wanted to play a little Gin Rummy.

He actually had a great sense of humor and wasn't half bad company as long as no one was asking him to do anything. He was forty eight years old, and a taxi driver out of New York City with a lot of funny and interesting stories to tell. He had never done anything in his life but go to school and drive a cab and his short stocky build showed the results. All his life he came home to his Momma's cooking and then his wife's. He never as much as made a sandwich before or lifted a hand with housework and wouldn't know how to peel a potato if his life depended on it.

Bobby Benson, their cook, was thirty seven, and had been a cook at a Luby's restaurant in Dallas. He was shy, red headed and freckled, and seemed to love creating different meals with whatever canned goods or produce they brought him. His main goal in life had been to become a chef in a fine restaurant. His happiest moment was when one of the women, returning from a bike run, pulled a Better Homes and Gardens cook book out of her back pack for him. He spent his days surveying their groceries and planning the meals and making up lists of things for them to look for while on their supply runs.

It was an odd grouping but somehow they all seemed to fit together and made a great team.

CHAPTER FOUR

They had all the cement poured into the foundation molding and were laying out the first section of two by fours to be put together for the framing. Krycek was showing them how to do it when someone let out a shout. "Hey! The soldiers that went to New Mexico are back and there's a lot more of them!"

Martinez, Andrews, and Miller, soldiers from their group came into camp with ten bedraggled Special Ops men they had found in the hills above Santa Fe.

They all sat down and ate a hearty meal while Andrews described the events of the last several days. It took them three days to make it down to New Mexico and another three to connect with the ops men. They had been on a survival training mission north of the base when it all happened. They had headed back towards the base when they heard the explosions and saw the fires in town. When they saw what was going on with the aliens lining up group after group of soldiers and setting them on fire, they backed tracked into the hills and waited. There were ten of them between the ages of twenty three and twenty seven.

The trip back to the valley took five days. They had a hard time finding bikes for everyone and had to take turns running and riding for the first two days. They were all pleased and relieved to find a place of safety and were shocked to hear what was actually going on. No one could get their minds around the fact that there actually were aliens and they had been caught in a sneak attack and scores of people were being killed.

"The quickest way to take down any big nation is to wipe out its communication system." Krycek said. "The government has been told this for years that communications was the vital key and that a more advanced system should be worked out but they'd rather spend the money on studying the sex lives of African sea turtles than developing a more secure communications system."

"So nothing is working? Nothing at all?" One of the Special Ops men asked.

"I don't know. We haven't tried anything and we're not going to. I destroyed all our cell phones and forbidden anyone to touch a phone while we're in town. It would be the easiest thing in the world for a transmission to be traced and bring them right to our door step."

"So how do you communicate among yourselves?" An SO man asked.

"We yell a lot or we send a runner." Krycek answered.

"And you haven't been in contact with anyone else; this group is all people who were on that plane?"

"That's right. You're the first we've seen."

"Well, what are your plans? Are you just going to sit here and wait it out?"

"That's what I vote for!" Harry piped up.

"We thought maybe you could help us find our families?" One of the ball players said.

The SO men looked quizzically at Krycek.

"We need to do **something** but we don't know what." Krycek answered. "We know they are hauling people off in trucks. We've seen that but we don't know where they're taking them or if they are even still alive. What we need is information. Where these people are being taken, if there is any possibility of getting any of them out, if there is some main list somewhere where with the names of the people being held and if there is anything at all that can kill these beings."

"That would certainly be good to know. All right men," the head SO man said, looking around at his men finishing up their meals. "What do you say we give these nice folks a hand and see if we can come up with the information they need?" They all nodded in agreement, anxious to finally be doing something positive even though this was nothing that they had been training for.

"What are you thinking?" Krycek asked.

"I'm thinking we'll head out tomorrow morning. We've picked up some road maps along the way and we'll break up into five two-man teams and fan out over the country side and see what information we can come up with. It's going to take quite a while with just bikes for transportation but we'll get as much of the information as we can for you. Oh, and if we find any stragglers along the way, do you want us to send them back here or leave them on their own?"

"Send them here," A chorus of voices said.

Krycek nodded in agreement. "Yes, send them here, but we've got to have some way of knowing that you sent them before we'll let them in. If these aliens are smart enough to carry off this invasion, they will be smart enough to figure out how to disguise themselves as humans if they decide they want to track us down.

"You mean a pass word or something?" The head SO asked.

"Yes, but it has to be something they would never think of." Krycek said.

"How about 'open sesame'?" Harry offered.

"Too obvious." Several said.

"I know." One of the ball players said. "A word that means nothing to anyone. How about 'supercalifragilisticexpialidocious'?"

"That's not a word!" Krycek grinned.

"Oh yes it is! It's from Mary Poppins." One of the women said. No one would ever think of that, it's perfect."

"My God, supercalifrala…. I can't even say it. If I get caught outside, I won't be let back in." Krycek laughed.

"It's easy. It's part of a song." A few of them began singing the song. "Once you learn the song, you get the rhyming words down and you won't forget it. In fact its one of those songs that once you hear it you can't get it out of your head for days!"

"Ok, this is your show -- whatever word you want to go with. Just make sure you confirm your final decision with me before you leave."

"Don't worry, Krycek. I'll teach you the song." Harry piped up. We wouldn't want to keep you out of the valley. At least not until you get that building of yours up."

The next morning the SO men were fitted out with the best bikes, spare tires, a bike repair kit, and food and water for several days. They already had binoculars, knives and some survival gear. As they were leaving the leader asked Krycek, "Is there any limitations on who we bring or send back if we find anyone? I mean, age, physical condition, etc.?"

"No. We'll be here for anyone who needs us. Just make sure you teach them that stupid little song you decided on. We're in the process of building some barracks and we'll build as many as we need. We are in need of a few special types though so if you **do** get to bring someone out, we're in desperate need of a doctor. We have two nurses but we could really use a doctor. And a plumber, and electrician, anyone with construction experience, farmers, cooks. Anyone who knows anything at all about solar power or how to build and set up a windmill or a water powered generator. Anyone you think might help us establish a working settlement here."

"It looks pretty damn good to me already and you've only been here a few weeks."

"We have made a lot of progress but we need to make a lot more before winter comes."

"OK. We're off. I don't know what we can come up with but we'll give it our best shot."

"Listen, if you get caught, tell your men not to struggle. Put your hands down at your sides and keep your eyes down. Don't argue or give them any reason to do anything other than take you prisoner. One angry word or belligerent move and they burn you. There is no talking with them, no reasoning with them. You give them any trouble at all and you're ashes. You can always work on an escape plan later."

"I hear ya. Thanks. I'll tell my men."

"Good luck to you then." Krycek said and held out his hand. The SO man took it for a minute then turned and left.

Krycek and his team geared up for the thirty mile bike ride in for construction supplies. Five of the women went with them riding with their bikes in the back of the wagon.

This time they loaded the wagon with plywood and cartons of screws, bolts, nails etc

The women asked for and were granted permission to search for more clothing. They also thought of the men and brought back large packs of T-Shirts, underwear, and socks as well as sweat suits in all sizes for the men as well as more clothes for themselves and the other two women who stayed behind. All this they loaded in their back packs then set about loading groceries in their bikes.

They found a small family style restaurant in town and in the back found large containers of coffee, flour, sugar, salt and some spices and herbs that Bobby had asked them to look for. They got baking powder and soda, dried yeast packets, and plastic jars of peanut butter and jelly. More produce was also found but their bikes were full so they went back and found the wagon loaded and waiting for them and told them about the produce. Krycek agreed they should get it while they could and took the wagon over to the restaurant and loaded several huge bags on top of their load then they headed back.

The women were becoming more accustomed to carrying the load of the back packs and the weight of the bicycles so the trip back, though long, went very well. All five women agreed they would be willing to do it again the next day -- getting to ride over in the wagon made all the difference in the world for them. The men had the strength and stamina for such a long ride but it was very hard on the women.

The weather was perfect for the ride, the low sixties, and when they returned they were all of good spirits and after dinner were ready to tackle the framing. Krycek had set it up so that it was all done in sections. The fifty foot sides were done in five ten-foot sections. The front and back were done in three sections, a three-foot section for the door, and two eleven foot sections for either side of the door.

These sections had been all laid out on the ground beside where each was going to go

and the two by fours bolted together. Holes had been drilled in the bottom two by four that corresponded with the bolts sticking up out of the concrete foundation.

It was time now to stand up this house of cards. Everyone was at hand. Several had two by fours and were instructed to stand by and when a section was stood up into place, they were to wedge the two by fours against them to help hold them in position until they were bolted to another section. They started on the front left hand side with two teams – one on the side section and one on the front section. A ten foot four by four had been bolted in an upright position at each corner.

Three soldiers and two ball players were on each team. When the word was given they took the section at the top and walking under it as they lifted it, slowly raised it into an upright position. Now came the lifting. They did it one corner at a time, half of them lifting the other half of them steadying it. Others jammed two by fours underneath and helped lever the section up onto the foundation; the imbedded bolts sliding nicely into the holes drilled for them. The other end was done the same way and the braces were hammered into place. The same was done with both sections.

Ladders were brought in and men scurried up them and bolted the top of the sections to the main four by four while others put washers and nuts on the bolts that protruded from the cement, through the bottom two by four of the sections. In no time they had one corner standing. A round of excited applause went up but Harry scoffed.

"First wind comes along it's all going to come down. What you're building there is a death trap."

"Harry, why don't you go play cards somewhere." Someone said.

"Ok. Krycek told the group. You see how easy that was? Now let's do the other front corner then we can work our way to the back."

One of the women sidled up to Krycek and said in a low voice. "It does look really unsteady, Alex. Do you think it will be safe?"

"Sure it will, Holly. Once we get all the sections connected. Each one will give the others more strength. You'll see."

"Well I trust your judgment." she said and went back and got another two by four from the stack to be ready for the next bracing. The rest of the sections went up easily. The only ones that they had difficulty with were the final two pieces, the doorways. They had been made a little too big and had to be taken apart and trimmed down a few inches each in order to get them into place. This was finished up by lamp light well after dark and half of the teams had already quit and gone to bed.

By the time Krycek crawled into his tent, he was too tired to even open his sleeping bag and slept on top of it. The entire framing all around the sides had been completed and he was very proud of what they had accomplished. He also worried about what the next day would bring. The next day they would be making no supply runs. It was time to start with the roof sections. They had been lucky to find them already assembled in the lumber yard. It would just be a matter of lifting them up into place, one by one and securing them finally with the large two by twelve header boards. Krycek shuddered a bit at the thought of the job ahead of them but they had gotten this far. He would see to it that the job got done – with that his last thought, he passed out.

They all ate a hearty breakfast the next morning and were more than a little subdued thinking about the job ahead of them. Putting up a roof! Could amateurs really do that? They were about to find out.

Krycek explained to them that while it appeared daunting it was really quite easy. The roof sections weren't all that heavy, just huge and awkward to handle requiring at least four men. Two could lift and carry one easily as they already knew; carrying the twenty five foot sections over the pass. It was the climbing the ladders with them and securing them that made this part difficult.

Ropes were tied to the top for people on either side helped keep the piece upright. Once they made it to the top of the ladders they would set the large piece of A-shaped framing down on the bolts that were waiting on the top two by four header boards that had been secured all around the top and then it would be bolted down.

Someone with a level will tell the rope holders when the section was perfectly vertical and the ropes would be secured to the side frame. Two by fours were placed on either side to brace it temporarily. The second section went up and was secured and sixteen inch spacers were nailed between them on either side at the base and half way up the A frame. This firmed the first section up considerably.

Section after section went up until all were in place and they stopped for lunch. All of them amazed at what they had accomplished.

After lunch it was time for the header board – that was a fifty two foot long set of two by twelves that were bolted together in sections so it would be easier to handle as they were extremely heavy. There was a long deep slot in the top of each roof section for the insertion of the header board and it took most of the afternoon getting these raised up, inserted into place, and bolted down. By four o'clock they were finished and stood staring at the framed building in awe.

"We did it! I can't believe it," one of the women said.

"It's really not all that complex," Alex said. "Just a lot of hard work and with as many as we have on the job, it makes it all go a lot faster."

"It reminds me of a set of dinosaur bones I saw in a museum once." Harry said.

"I'm surprised they let you in a museum, Harry." Someone said.

"I'm surprised they let him out." Someone countered and they all laughed.

"Ok. Next step is all these little gadgets." Krycek said and dropped several boxes of galvanized metal pieces in their midst.

"What's this?" Someone asked picking up a couple of the bent pieces.

"Storm ties." Krycek answered. He carried one over and showed them how the bent piece fit over two pieces that had been joined. He took the power screw driver and a hand full of screws and secured it to the structure – four screws on either side. "We need these on every joint, inside and out."

"Now you're talking! This is something that I can do!" One of the women grabbed up a screwdriver and a handful of ties and started. Others followed and the structure was covered with the metal ties, inside and out. They stopped only for a quick dinner then got back to it. They finished at dusk.

"Can we take these braces and ropes down now?" Someone asked.

"Not yet. Let's get the plywood up tomorrow first. That will secure the building for good. No sense in taking any chances." Krycek answered.

"Well there's secure and then again there's secure." Harry scoffed and shook his head.

"You'll see when the first storm hits, Harry. You really think your tent will protect you from, say ten feet of snow?"

Harry's face went pale. "You really think we'll get that much snow in here?"

"I know it's hard to think about snow when it's June but yes, we could easily get that much snow or more." Krycek said.

"Your little tent would be covered completely, Harry." Someone said.

"At least we wouldn't have to listen to his bitching any more." Someone else said.

"Hey, I helped too. I carried stuff over here, I carried water; I did lots of stuff. I got as much right as the rest of you to a place inside that building." Harry said and stomped off to his tent.

The others laughed and someone said, "Hey, did you notice? He's now calling it a 'building' instead of a death trap."

"Yeah, I noticed. I guess he thought we were just going to stand pieces of plywood up against each other and call it a building." Krycek said.

"This is going to be wonderful!" Holly said, walking the expanse of the building. So much room in here. We should build another one so you men can have one too." She joked.

"Now just a minute here!" the men demanded.

"Maybe she thought this place was just for the women." Krycek said.

"The women and Harry. He's got a right to a place in there too." Someone said and they all laughed.

The worst was over with now and the rest of it would be a piece of cake. The next morning he instructed them on how to start putting up the plywood and he took off with a team for more supplies.

In town he loaded up with tar paper, shingles, and boxes and boxes of caulking while the others raided the grocery stores for more food. His load was just about complete when the two farmers came galloping up on horseback.

"Hey, you found some more horses." Krycek greeted them.

"We found another wagon too. It's out front with two more horses. There's a chicken coop over the other side of town in the back of one of those houses. We thought we'd take some chicken wire and wood and make up something to carry them in. We can collect them on our next run."

"That sounds great. Fresh eggs again. The gang will love that. Bring the wagon in here and we'll grab some more supplies."

"Actually, it's already pretty much loaded." Randy the older brother said. "We filled it with some seed for winter oats for the horses and a bunch of seed potatoes and tomato plants."

"Good idea." Krycek allowed. "We need to think about the animals as well. Have you got room for the chicken wire and wood? I think we can put some more on here if we need to. We can get the rest of this stuff that we need tomorrow. If you have any extra room at all, you can throw some groceries in."

"Yeah, we've still got room. We also found a couple more cans of gasoline we loaded up too."

"Great. We need all we can get for the generator."

The next day they stayed in camp and worked on two different projects. Finishing up the plywood, and mixing up cement for the floor. They sectioned off the floor area with one by fours on edge and filled them up one at a time. By evening, they had the floor poured, and the entire structure covered with plywood.

It was really beginning to look like a building now and they ate their dinner and talked excitedly about furniture. Krycek assured them they would have no room for anything other than bunk beds right now and possibly some shelves between them. Everyone was more than happy with that.

"Where do you plan on getting that many bunks?" Someone asked.

"We're going to build them." Krycek said as he sipped his coffee.

"Build them?" Someone questioned.

"If we can build a building, bunk beds should be easy." Someone else said.

"There's nothing to them really. The lumber yard has a ton of four by fours in eight foot sections. All we need to do is cut grooves in four of them and insert pieces of plywood. Nail in a few braces to keep the plywood in place and walla – you have bunk beds." Krycek said.

"And what about mattresses? Are we going to have to make those too?" Someone asked.

"Naw. There should be plenty of them around. Just like everything else, we'll make a run into town and get what we can find. We'll try the closest town first and see what we can come up with in the homes around there. Then we'll hit the larger town for the rest if we have to. We may end up having to some of us sleep on air mattresses. I saw some of those at the general store. We may also have to bring in some larger mattresses and cut them down. We'll just have to wait and see what we can come up with. But don't worry. Sooner or later everyone will have a mattress."

"What about a way to heat the place. Has anybody thought about that?" Harry asked.

"Yes, Harry. It's in the plans."

"Well, I'd like to hear about it. You going to put a fire pit in the middle of the building or something?" Harry again.

"I was thinking more along the lines of wood burning stoves. You know, those old pot-bellied things they used to have in the movies?"

"Where in the hell do you plan on coming up with one of those; you gonna order it from Sears?" Harry again.

"There are some in the store room over at the lumber yard. There's also a couple of real nice wood-burning cooking stoves there. All still in their crates."

"Cooking stoves!" Bobby and two of the women gushed. "Real cooking stoves?"

"Uh huh. The picture on the side of the crates looked real nice. They're big; eight burners each and they each have two ovens." Krycek knew his surprise would have that response.

"Why don't we bring them over here now? Oh what I could do with a real stove!" Bobby pleaded.

"They're cast iron, Bobby. First rain and they'll rust up. I think it's best if we just leave them where they are until we get the building up. It will also be a heck of a lot easier bringing them through the tunnel than trying to carry them over the pass." Krycek said. "Here, take a look at this." He took out a diagram he had made in his note book. Everyone gathered around to take a look. "There are twenty five of us so we'll need thirteen bunk beds to start out with. We line them all along one wall. Ladies, we'll curtain your area off once we get to it. Here at the front end, we can set up a temporary kitchen and set our tables up along this other side. We can curtain off places in the front and back and bring the port-a-potties in." A shout of 'Hooray' went up by all. "I figured we'd place four pot bellies right down the middle of the room." He pointed to tiny circles he had drawn on his diagram.

"Who's going to have to go out in the snow and gather up all the fire wood? Me, I suppose!" Harry again.

"Harry, if we're lucky, we have about three months before first snow most likely. I suggest you get started and bring in all you can find now before it gets too cold." Krycek said.

"There's a lot of it out there but most of it is too heavy for me to carry." Harry said.

"Ok, you locate what you can, and someone will come out with the chain saw and cut it into smaller pieces."

"That'll work." Harry agreed. "Thanks."

"We can build some racks to hold the wood," the farmers offered.

"That will be great, Randy.

On and on the planning went. On and on the trips into town went. They occasionally saw trucks and laid low in the bushes until they passed. It didn't take long to work out the schedule. The aliens were patrolling the two towns, once a week.

They were in town one time when their guard came tearing in with the news that a truck was coming. They pulled their wagon into the lumber yard out of sight of the road and they all hid their bikes and stayed out of sight, trembling in fear as the truck rolled through. Two men per truck, a driver and a spotter who just looked around as they drove through. They didn't even stop; they just drove up and down the streets and then went on their way. Once this schedule was determined, they never went into either town on those days of the week, the day before or the day after.

Aluminum siding was brought in and installed then came insulation for the walls and ceiling which was stapled up between the two by fours after everything was sealed with caulk, then paneling was installed over everything. The metal framework was installed for the ceiling and the white panels were put in place. The two doors were a stubborn challenge but they managed to get them installed along with the small rectangular windows that were placed high along each side wall. Two larger windows were installed in either side of the doors. A leveling resin mixture was poured over the floor and filled in all the cracks between sections as well as smoothed the rough surface of the concrete. They had to wait three days for it to set.

There was just one more thing to do before he would consider the building finished and that was to hang the US flag from the over-hanging beam in front and with a bucket of paint in one hand and a brush in the other, Alex painted a big number one above the doorway. Everyone yelled and cheered and they recited the National Anthem. It was a very solemn moment and it affected them all deeply.

The night they finished, they celebrated with Coke Cola, cooled in the stream. They raised their cans high in salute and sang songs and stayed up late. Everyone was congratulating each other and for a time they had Krycek up on their shoulders carrying him around. They bombarded him with requests for new projects to tackle. The cooks wanted the stoves brought in first, the women wanted the mattresses brought in first and he disappointed them all by insisting that they bring the plywood and four by fours in first and get started on the bunk beds. He reminded them that at any time people could start showing up there singing that stupid song and they would need places to sleep more and more people.

The next morning the two wagons and nineteen bike riders set out for the thirty mile trip, the women and their bikes riding in the back of the wagons, bikes in one wagon and the women in the other.

Both wagons were filled to capacity with plywood and four by fours. The bikes were loaded with groceries and their back packs loaded with more clothing.

Krycek explained in detail how to put the beds together and they went together simply enough and in one day they had their bunks all made and several extras in hopes of new comers needing them.

The next day's trip they went to the closest town and started on their mattress hunt. Almost every house had twin beds in at least one bed room; some had them in two or even three. They had come back with thirty mattresses. When they got back, they found that those who stayed behind had already started moving their things onto bunks. Lanterns had been hung all along the center of the room. The back of the room had been set up for the women. Two bunks on each side of the room facing each other and the port-a-potties had been brought in. Charlene and Deborah who had remained in camp, were busy trying to secure shower curtains between their area and the men's.

Krycek was very pleased with the results but told the women he had brought back canvas tarps they could use to curtain off their area, reminding them that shower curtains could easily been seen through. A rope was strung across the ceiling and laced through the grommet holes at the edge of each tarp giving them plenty of privacy when they were pulled closed. They could come up with a way to fasten it shut themselves.

They were enjoying moving into their building when Parks and his team came in, covered with dirt and announced that they had broken through the tunnel! It was all now just a matter of carrying the remaining dirt out of the way and shoring up the last section and it would be ready for use. It was decided that no trip into town would be made the next day; instead they would concentrate on the tunnel.

As fast as the dirt was cleared away, the ceiling and sides of the tunnel were shored up with a double layer of heavy duty beams and thick plywood. Cement would be added later on for even more stability. The dirt and debris had made a nice sloping ramp from the mine entrance to the floor of the valley and they were busy tamping it down when someone said. "Did you hear that? It sounds like singing."

They all quieted and listened. "…if you say it loud enough, you'll always sound precocious, SUPERCALIFRAGILISTICEXPICALIDOCIOUS."

"Someone's here!" They all ran from the mine and saw heads popping up over the pass, two men, two women and four children, ranging from ages nine to twelve.

They all waved and yelled welcome and hugged them as they made their way down. Some of the group scurried over the pass and brought back their bicycles. They explained that the two families had been away camping when everything happened. They had met one of the Special Ops team and given the password and instructions on how to get there.

Everyone went back to camp and cleaned up. The new comers were amazed by the building and had been told there was nothing but tents here. They had brought tents and what supplies they could carry and Krycek noticed that each of them had plastic waste baskets secured over their back fenders. They told him the Special Ops team recommended the bikes and showed them how it was done. All of their bikes had sleeping bags secured to the back of the seats. They had made a good job of it.

Bobby had made a hearty meal of spam stew and every one ate with great pleasure.

"We haven't had a hot meal in days. We have a little stove but we were too afraid to use it. We didn't want any cooking odors to carry in the wind to any of those monsters." One of the women said.

"Oh, I almost forgot. We were told to give you this." One of the men said and handed Krycek several pages torn out of a small notebook. The first page was a letter from the Special Ops man explaining that they had found these two families in the woods east of Salt Lake City. He said they were ex-Marines but maybe we could forgive them for that. He said SL City was in ruins but he found an Army base near there that the aliens had taken over and hundreds of people were being held there. They had managed to sneak in and copy a list of names with ages and occupations. There were none with the occupations listed that they had asked for. They said the fence was wired for electricity but it was easy to get in and out of with a simple by pass system. He said further that he was heading on to California as their families were both there, one in San Francisco and one in LA. If they found their families, they would head back to the valley with them, if not they would continue on and they would gather names from any other internment camps they found.

The next several pages were covered front and back with names and occupations.

"Good, good! This is exactly what we need!" Krycek said and read the letter to the others. They all chuckled at the ex-Marine joke and even the soldiers assured them that there was nothing to worry about as long as they didn't get into any football games. He scanned the list of names closely and there were none that could be of immediate use to them. They were mostly, business men, housewives, students and teachers.

After dinner and a lively getting-to-know-one-another discussion, they made their way to the bunk house as a light drizzle started. The new comers were given bunks. The women and two little girls' were set up in the women's area as two more bunk beds were moved in behind the curtain for them. The men and boys stayed up front with the other men.

"Look, Mommie, beds. Real beds to sleep on!" The little girls were excited, the women overcome with relief were wiping away tears.

The rain out side started in earnest then and one of the little girls said, "Mommie, I gotta go!"

"Oh, honey, it's pouring! Can't you wait a few minutes and see if it stops?"

"Over here," Marcia said and showed them the port-a-potty behind the shower curtain.

"Oh, a little toilet! Look Mommie, a little toilet!" The little girl exclaimed. "Can I use it, please?"

"Certainly sweetie. Help yourself."

The two mommies hugged the women then and couldn't hold the tears in any longer. They talked for hours about how frightened they all were and what an ordeal it had been riding their bikes so far.

CHAPTER FIVE

Krycek was proud of what they had accomplished and set about making immediate plans for two more buildings – another exactly like the one they just finished so they could eventually have one for the women and children and one for the men. And he wanted to have the third one for a dining room/kitchen/dispensary combination. He broached the subject the next morning at breakfast and everyone let out a big howl of approval. A few groaned but agreed that if more people were coming in they would need it.

They decided to work on both buildings at the same time. They figured out where they were going to build and started hauling the material in. It was so much easier now that they were able to drive their loads right into the valley through the tunnel and didn't have to worry about having to haul everything over the pass. Their river crossing was enlarged with trees that were cut down and pulled to the location by the horses and secured together and filled in with rocks and sod. Everyone knew what they were doing now so the work went much easier. They still made daily trips to the lumber yard and the bike riders still went along carrying back more and more goods for use in the community.

Three weeks later they were on their way back when their scout riding out ahead, let out a whistle signaling the group to stop. One whistle was just for them to stop. Two was to hide. They heard just one whistle and stopped. It had been the first time they had ever used their pre-arranged system.

Four bike riders came up to them, the three strangers singing the song, Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious. Krycek rode out to meet them.

"We were told to sing that stupid song and to tell you greetings from Special Ops team two." One of the men said.

"Hi, where are you from?" Krycek asked.

"Reno. We'd been doing some logging. We had a whole team up there but the three of us went into town for supplies and when we got back they were all gone. We headed back to town but got caught up in a traffic jam on the road. We got out to see what was going on and we saw these men … or aliens or whatever the hell they are, walking along side the cars and shooting these little flame thrower things off and burning all the cars and everyone in them." We took off for the hills and have been hiding out every since. Your team caught us sleeping and told us about you and this valley that's supposed to be hidden where those bastards can't find it. He said we should come join your group. Is that Ok with you?"

"Absolutely. Welcome." Krycek reached out his hand and shook with them.

By the first snowfall, they had four buildings built and three filled with bunks. Each barracks could sleep forty eight. One was totally for the women; two were for the men and one held the dispensary, kitchen, and cafeteria. More generators had been brought in but were used mainly in the kitchen building. This building had been designed a bit different from the others. The first thirty feet were set aside for the cafeteria, then there was a partition all the way across and the next ten feet were for the actual kitchen area. The last ten feet were divided crossways into two sections, one for the dispensary the other for storage. Across the back of this building, a porch had been added and a shower room built. Some washers and dryers had been brought in along with a couple of hot water heaters so hot showers were now available.

Once the winter wore on and the snow became a daily occurrence they no longer made the trips into town. It wasn't necessary and there was no need to take the risk.

They had blown the pass before the first heavy snow and before long it had filled with snow and they could no longer see it. It was a frightening prospect but things were going very well in camp with very few arguments. Plans were made for the spring and they settled in for the long cold winter.

Harry had done his share and more and had built up a mountain of firewood. On clear days some would hike out into the woods and see what they could see. One morning at breakfast they heard shots being fired. The farmers, Randy and his brother had gone hunting and got a nice elk. Other times they brought in rabbits and showed Bobby how to make a nice hearty rabbit stew. The winter passed uneventfully with no more visitors showing up singing for them. It was nearing spring but still the snow fell.

One morning Parks came hurrying back into the dining room and said that he had found a note by the outside of the mine doorway. It had been put in a plastic bag and tied with a red rag to a big bush just outside the doorway. Krycek opened the bag quickly and read the letter.

"It's from special ops team two. They whistled and yelled and sang the song and no one heard them. They went back to the nearest town and will wait there until they hear from us." Krycek stopped and gasped, "He says there are twenty two of them!"

He went back to reading again. He says they have several children and that two of them are pretty sick. We'll need to take the wagons. Rick, Randy, can you get them ready."

"You're going now? It's snowing. You might get stuck out there." Harry warned.

"Today is Tuesday. That town will be patrolled tomorrow. We have to go now or risk losing them all."

"It's no skin off my nose if you want to risk your lives, go ahead. I'm staying right here where it's nice and warm." Harry said as he pulled his warm jacket closer around him.

"You have any idea how long this might have been stuck out there?" Krycek asked Parks.

"No, sorry old boy, but I don't. I haven't been out that front doorway in weeks."

"They're probably all cozy up there in one of those nice houses." Harry said. "I wouldn't worry about them."

"And what about the sick children? You wouldn't worry about them either?" Maddie asked angrily."

"That note could have been hanging out there since we blew the pass. That was a months ago. If those kids were that sick they are probably already dead and buried."

"You're all heart, Harry!" Someone said.

Krycek turned away with a disgusted shrug. "Peterson, get some blankets together, Bobby, get us some food. Some broth, soup, crackers and some of those canned vegetables. We stripped that town of food. They've got to be starving."

Thirty minutes later they left, just the four of them – Rick and Randy, each one to drive a wagon, and Peterson and Krycek. It was freezing cold and snowing heavily. The trip took two hours in the snow, instead of the usual one hour. They still remembered to follow procedure and went in on foot first and looked around. They saw nothing. If they were still there, they were well hidden.

They drove the wagons slowly down the main street while Krycek and Peterson took opposite sides and looked into each building. They found nothing. They started through the residential areas. Instead of going through each house they started singing at the top of their lungs, "Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious"

Krycek didn't know the words and could hardly pronounce the word but he bellowed along just the same. When they came down the second block they caught sight of someone running towards them waving his arms and shouting the word back at them.

They had found them! They had been there for ten days. The two little girls aged three and five were both critically ill. One was unconscious and the other had a severe cough and was running a high temperature. They had found a house where there was a cellar full of items that had been home canned they were living on. There was very little left. A few of the men were out scavenging through the town to see if they could find anything else to eat when they head the singing.

At first they wanted to stay where they were and asked Krycek to just bring food out to them but when he explained that the aliens would be patrolling that town in the morning they decided to go ahead and leave. They wanted nothing more to do with aliens. They had all been brought out of camps and had horror stories to tell. Krycek said to save them till they got back to the valley and got them all wrapped in blankets and in the back of the two wagons.

The snow was worse and it was colder than Krycek could ever remember being. The farmers kept the horses at a steady pace though it was barely a fast walk. Everyone huddled together and a few of the children were crying. By the time they got into the rocks they could see the lamp light that Parks had set out for them. Once inside the tunnel they felt the relief of no more snow but they still had to push on and back out into it again at the other side.

Parks had secured the door again behind them and followed them on his bike back out into the snow covered valley.

The bridge over the stream had long since been widened to carry the wagons so they were able to drive directly to the dispensary. Marcia and Maddie were waiting as well as Holly and Amber. The pot bellied stove in the center of the room had it reasonably warm and the parents of the sick girls went inside, each carrying a precious child. The rest of the group went into the cafeteria where most everyone else was waiting to meet them.

Bobby had made a large pot of stew using canned meat and vegetables and worked up several dozen biscuits that he had popped in the oven when the signal came in from Parks that they had arrived.

The newcomers first gathered around the stoves to warm up then eventually took seats when the stew and biscuits were brought out. They ate hungrily and between bites of food and sips of steaming hot coffee they told their story.

Special Ops team two leader had three brothers in and around San Francisco that he went looking for. The town was empty and so was every hiding place he could think of to try.

They had passed by a military base on their way into town and found it had been turned into an internment camp so decided to go back and try there. It was easily enough to break into. Once inside he found two of his brothers, their wives and five children. The third brother was somewhere on the east coast when everything happened and they had no way of knowing what happened to him.

He walked them a few at a time to a corner by a window and explained what was happening and they were eager to go along with it. One of the brothers and his son, went out first and the second member of the team, took them outside the fence, hid them and went back for more. Next went the wife and two children. They were hurried to safety. No one inside the barracks building seemed to notice that people were missing. There were so many jammed in there that no one either noticed or cared. Everyone was milling around trying to find a place to get comfortable. There were four left. They all went at once, slipping out the window into the darkness and following the tracks in the snow. They hoped it would snow again to cover their tracks. Before it was light again their tracks were long covered.

They walked for hours before they found an empty house far enough away from the camp for them to feel safe. The women had pushed the bikes while the oldest boy about fourteen and the four men walked and carried the smaller children. It was bitterly cold but no one complained. They were too happy to be out of that place.

They found blankets to bundle up in, food to eat and they slept until morning. They found warm clothes to put on, more food to add to their nearly depleted stash and one bicycle in the garage that had a child's seat on the back. The next morning they left with the two women riding the bikes that were loaded with food, the oldest boy got the other bike with the four year old in the child's seat and the men and the other three children, aged eight, ten, and twelve all ran. They stopped often for rests and the men took turns piggy-backing the two youngest when they got too tired to run. They stayed off the roads and spent the night in another abandoned house where they picked up two more bikes. The two dads got those bikes and managed to ride the eight and ten year olds on the handle bars. Now just the twelve year old and the two Special Ops men were running. By the time they stopped for lunch in another house, they found two more bikes. They needed one more and they found that about an hour's ride after lunch. Now they were all riding. The farther south they went the warmer it got. It took five days to make it to LA. They found a place on the outskirts of town and stayed there while the Special Ops men searched for the other team member's parents.

He knew exactly where his parents would be if they hadn't been taken. During the fifties his grandparents had built a bomb shelter out in their back yard like so many other families had and now his parents were living in that house. The last time he was home on leave they had talked about filling it in but the grandchildren had enjoyed playing in it too much so they never had.

They waited until after dark and slipped down the back alley and into the yard. Not a sound could be heard, not a light was seen in any direction. He hurried over to the spot hidden in the bushes behind the garage and knocked sharply on the cover. There was no answer. No sound of any kind. He knocked again and called this time, "Momma, Dad? It's me, Frankie. Are you in there?"

He heard the handle turning on the inside of the door and lifted it open for them. His dad popped out first and grabbed him in a bear hug. Then his weeping mother came out, babbling and holding on to him. "It's all right, it's all right. I'm going to get you out of here. We've got a safe place for you." Before he could say any more he saw another head pop out and then another, man and a woman in their late twenties. He recognized them immediately. They were his parent's next door neighbors, the Kims – a young Viet Namese couple with two little girls. "Oh my God! You're safe too! He embraced them both. "Where are the girls? Come on. We've got to get out of here. I've got a safe place for you all to stay. Do you still have those bikes with the kid seats on the back?" He asked the young couple. They said they did and the young man went next door with the SO leader and they brought them back while the children were brought up along with a couple carry-all bags that the men slung over their shoulders.

His mom and dad were put on the bikes that they had ridden in on while the neighbors had strapped their girls into the child seats on their bikes and the SO team was afoot again. Three blocks over the parents signaled for them all to stop. They stopped under some trees and the parents told the SO team that they knew the family that lived in the house they had stopped in front of and that their five kids all had bikes. The two men snuck off into the garage and came out with two more bikes. Once outside of town they were joined by the rest of the group. They were now sixteen and they headed north east, towards the valley and safety.

They spent their fifth night out from LA in the forest in the northern tip of Arizona. The children were tired and scared and one of the girls had a bad cough. It was hard to keep them quiet. Just before dawn they were awakened by a sound in the trees. The SO men pulled out their knives and waited. They saw it then, a figure creeping into their campsite and placed something on the ground next to where the girls slept and started to back quietly away. He was met by an SO man with his knife at the ready. "What do you want?" he asked the intruder.

The man stood up and the rest of the camp started to rouse as well. "I brought something for the child. It will soothe her cough."

"I heard you in the woods. How many more of you are there?"

"Four more." The voice behind him said as more young men stepped into the small clearing. "We heard the child coughing. She needs medicine. This is good medicine. I made it myself."

They were all awake now and staring at the strangers – five young men. They were Hopi and all that was left of their village.

The little girl started coughing again and her mother held her close.

"Give her some. It will help." The one who had brought the medicine in said.

"What is it?" The SO leader asked.

"Herbs, and the juice from bark and roots. It will ease her discomfort. Just squeeze it."

It appeared to be a small pouch of some sort. The SO leader picked it up and squeezed some into his hand and tasted it. "It's sweet."

"We added some honey so the child would take it. Please give it to her."

The child's father tasted it first. The child's cough was getting much worse, they needed to do something. "Maybe try just a few drops" the girl's father said, "a few drops couldn't hurt." They squeezed a few drops into the girl's mouth and her cough eased. She coughed a little more and her mother gave her more. She quieted down then and dozed off in her mother's arms.

They all sat down then and talked. The Indians said they had been rodeoing in Flagstaff and were headed home when everything happened. When they got to their village, everyone was gone, many had been killed. They stayed in the woods and waited. They said they knew someone would come and show them the way to safety. The group was now twenty two. The next morning the bikers and the Indians on horseback started out. The younger children that had been riding on handlebars were now riding on horseback behind the Indians.

The Indians having ridden all over the area on horseback, lead the way north up and around the canyon country. It was straight up and across Utah at an angle heading northeast. The farther north they got, the colder it got and the sicker the girl got. Soon her sister was coughing too. By the time they crossed into Colorado, both girls were running temperatures. It was snowing hard when they arrived at the entrance to the valley so they left the note and headed back, half frozen, to find shelter in town.

Krycek listened to their amazing story. Their settlement was growing by leaps and bounds. He was glad he had insisted on them completing the second male barracks building even though they worked in the bitter cold. He somehow suspected it would be needed and they were. They had come a long way in the eleven months they had been there.

Long after everyone else had gone to bed; Krycek sat alone at the long dining table, working on plans in his notebook. Satisfied that he had things well in control, he closed his notebook and leaned back in his chair.

Parks came in after fixing himself a sandwich from the kitchen and joined him.

"So we'll be starting our runs into town again soon I suppose? What will it be, search for more food or materials for further construction?" He asked as he sat across from Krycek.

"Both. The need for food is never ending, as is the need for more barracks. No telling what Spring will bring. We must devise a way for anyone who shows up to contact us on the inside. Either post guards or leave some way for them to leave us a note and we check the outer door frequently. If that child dies it will be because we failed to do this."

"Oh, my dear boy," Parks heaved a great sigh. "You take on the entire responsibility for this community when it's not solely your place. We all bear the burden equally."

"Perhaps. But some of us are more capable of bearing it than others." Krycek rubbed the back of his neck.

"You're tired. You should try and get more sleep. You're the last one up every night and the first one up every morning."

"I don't need much sleep. I'm not used to it." Krycek answered.

"You know what Dr. Kim would say about that!"

"I do. So don't you tell him." Krycek said with a tired smile.

"Tell me about yourself, Alexander. What was your life like before all this nonsense? You said you were with the F.B.I. Was that an exciting life? Do you miss it?"

"Actually, it sucked but it was just starting to get better. I had quit my job and was going to try and see what it was like to live a normal life."

"Ha!" Parks boomed. "A normal life! I don't think life will ever be normal again; do you?"

"I have no idea." Krycek stared into his coffee cup and swirled the dregs.

"Did you lose someone? Leave someone special behind?"

"No. There was no one."

"Ahhh but you wish there had been."

"I do, at least I did. But I never really had a chance in hell with either one of them."

"And why not? You're a charming young man; rather rough around the edges maybe but of good heart."

Krycek chuckled at that. "There are … or were a few people who wouldn't agree with that."

"And these two were?"

"Past associates of mine. We worked together at the Bureau for a time and then on opposite sides for several years."

"Ah, I see. Co workers, friends, rivals, enemies; all in one package."

"That's about it."

"Are they who you're thinking about when you stand and stare off towards the old pass? Are you hoping they will show up?"

"Before … there always was just that little bit of hope. Now I don't even have that any more."

"And why not? They could well be in camps somewhere waiting for you to ride to their rescue."

Another chuckle from Alex. "Believe me, I'm the last person either one of them would want to see."

"Tell me about them. Women, men, or perhaps one of each, you old rascal?"

"Both male."

"Ah. Into threesoms. Kinky."

"No!" Alex couldn't help but chuckle at that one coming from the oh-so-proper Englishman. "At different times. First there was Mulder. We were partners for a while. It was the best time of my life; the absolute best. I was crazy about him. He hardly knew that I existed. Then something happened and he grew to hate me. He thought I had killed his father. I didn't. But nothing I said could convince him otherwise." He grimaced at the painful memory.

"I see. Then you turned to the other one?"

"Not exactly. My life was a real mess, I grew to hate everyone and just about everyone hated me in return. And Skinner, he hated me most of all. I was the most brutal to him."

"Oh. So you were into that pain nonsense. I never did really understand the appeal of that sort of thing."

"No, it wasn't that way at all. He was an Assistant Director at the Bureau, an ex-Marine, big, bald and absolutely the sexiest thing on two feet. He was married though so I thought I didn't stand a chance. I used to follow him around and I found he used to frequent this place that handled rent boys. For some reason, that made me furious. I wanted to get back at him for going to them when I was just down the hall and would have done anything for an hour alone with him."

"He sounds pretty special."

"He is … or he was. I doubt if either of them made it. Neither one of them could take orders or even suggestions from anyone else. I'm sure they are both long gone."

"At least you have your memories of being with them."

"No, it never got that far with either of them. I wanted to, I wanted to badly but Mulder was too busy out there searching for his truths and Skinner, with him it was lust at first sight and the knowledge that he'd sooner break me in half as touch me kept me at a distance. He'd walk right passed me in the hall and not even see me; not until I got in his face, that is."

"How very sad. You've carried a torch for two men and neither of them responded in kind. What a sad tale indeed. It sounds like a Victorian novel. Only in that, some rich relative would have whisked you away to his family's estate and married you off to his ugly daughter."

"Oh God! Spare me." Alex laughed as he got up, took his coffee cup into the kitchen and rinsed it out, then said good night and left for his bunk. He always waited until everyone was asleep as he couldn't bear their chatter and he didn't have any answers to their un-ending questions.

He lay in his bunk and thought about Mulder and Skinner. He knew they were gone, he just knew it. But some tiny spark of hope wouldn't die and he found himself wondering what it would be like to find them, to free them and bring them to this valley where they would be safe. Would they think of him differently after seeing what he had accomplished? He thought they probably wouldn't. Mulder would whine constantly about finding Scully and Skinner would glare at him and start giving orders.

The tears started slipping down his face and he turned on his side and wiped at them with his blanket and let them fall. Alex Krycek wept.

xxx

It was into their second year in the valley and Alex was reading the latest list brought in by a SO team. He read it – re-read it – then took off for his bunk and started packing. Skinner was alive! Walter Skinner, carpenter – he knew it was him! Within an hour he was on his way.

CHAPTER SIX

Walter Skinner trudged along the trail among the thirty or forty others. They had been walking for days now. He hoped they would arrive at their destination soon and that there would be some thing there for them to eat when they got there. The man next to him stumbled and Walter caught his arm, steadying him. They couldn't delay the line or they would taste the guard's whip. The line kept moving.

The movement was slow but steady – accompanied by guards on horseback who were armed with two things, a whip and the short cylindrical tube that shot bursts of flame. Both were used along the way. He had seen no road signs but guessed them to be somewhere in the mid west; he had no idea where they were headed or what would happen once they got there. Their captors were totally uncommunicative and spoke to them only to bark orders at them. He hoped their destination was just over this set of steep hills they were traversing. They couldn't go on much longer. This hill was the steepest they had climbed, the pathway narrow and treacherous. His mind concentrated on silly things like was this really a hill or was it a mountain? And how high did a hill have to get before it was declared a mountain. It had seemed like a hill going up but now that they were about to climb down, he thought of it more as a mountain. This side had a sheer drop off to great boulders below. A slip here would be fatal.

Around one bend and then another and they were able to see the bottom and two trucks waiting for them below. The guards urged them on with a crack of their whips. The light rain that had been falling decided to open up on them now making the trail down hill even more difficult.

There was a scuffle up ahead and the unmistakable wail as someone stumbled and went over the side to their death. The line marched on. The man in front of him slipped, Walter grabbed for him but caught only a handful of shirt. The sudden jerking movement sent them both over the side, the man's shirt tearing away as he fell out of sight. Walter managed to grab onto a small sapling and hang on about ten feet down the side. He tried to regain a foot hold and his right leg screamed in protest; it was broken.

The line above stopped and several stood peering over the side at him. In moments a human chain was formed by the four strong men risking the lash, they brought him back up. The two guards watched in fascination. Apparently they had never seen a rescue before. With a man on each side of him, Walter was brought to his feet. He hopped between them and the line once again continued on through the rain. The trail widened and it was much easier going down slope. Away from the great drop off the men breathed a lot easier and the sight of the trucks waiting for them below urged them onward.

They were all ready to drop by the time they climbed into the back of the trucks. The trip into town took hours, with exhaustion and pain warring for dominance, Walter sank into a fitful sleep. It wasn't until the trucks hit the pavement and the ride smoothed out that he awoke, startled to find they were in a large city. The streets were deserted, shops closed, abandoned; some burned. The eeriest thing was the total lack of population. He couldn't help but wonder what happened to the citizens of this town. He tried to catch a name or something that he might recognize but there was nothing but street after street of abandoned buildings, cars parked askew in every direction, some with the doors still opened and several that had been burned out. The silence got to him too. Not a sound could be heard besides the drone of the trucks. They drove passed block after block of sky scrapers, here and there an open window with some papers fluttering out into the street. Some windows were broken; some still stood proudly displaying their wares for sale.

The rain slowed down to a fine mist and he caught a wisp of an odor. He sniffed trying to identify it and decided it smelled like a river. They were leaving the abandoned down town area and were now into the warehouse district. The waterfront? Could this be Chicago? St. Louis? Had they traveled that far? The trucks pulled around back of a warehouse and the huge metal door was pulled back. They were escorted inside where a crowd of a hundred or more people were milling around. They were carefully watched with guards stationed around the perimeter of the room. The group was murmuring quietly among themselves and looking over the new arrivals. They were all searching for someone they knew; a friendly face to share their terror with.

After a few minutes the order was given for them to line up, single file. An alien at the front of the line asked for ID. He was shown it and pointed to a door and the first man went through it. Walter listened carefully to what was being said. The alien would take the ID, read the person's name, ask his occupation, and then point to a door. One man's ID was read as Assistant District Attorney. He was sent through the door on the left. A salesman, a plumber, a baker, and a teacher were all sent through the door on the right. Then came a private investigator. He was sent through the same door as the ADA. The next three were postmen. The alien did not understand the term 'postman' but he understood when they said they were government employees. They went through the door on the left. A carpenter, a singer, a librarian, a cook, and a nurse all went to the door on the right. Two sailors went to the left.

Walter got a sinking feeling as he stood there being held up by the man next to him. He eased his wallet out of his back pocket and dropped it down the side of his leg. He waited until he was sure no one was looking and bent down to rub his injured leg then slid the wallet as far back into the stacks of crates as he could without drawing any attention to himself.

When the alien stopped in front of him and said "I D", he shook his head and said he had lost his wallet in the fall. There was some murmuring between the alien and the guards who had brought him in and then the alien asked. "Name? Occupation?"

"Walter Skinner, carpenter," he answered. He was pointed towards the right hand door. He started hopping. The next man was a taxi driver and was also pointed to the right hand door and he gave Skinner a hand. Soon the door was closed behind them and he saw they were being loaded up into trucks. As the trucks filled up they pulled away but before they were out of sight, he got a whiff and sight he hadn't seen since Nam. Bodies burned, still smoldering and being shoved into a large pit behind the warehouse. He knew then where the men went who got sent through the door on the left.

Fifteen minutes later they were unloaded into another warehouse. This was obviously a temporary holding place where they were sent before being shipped out to a camp. The room was filled with large shelves stacked four or five high and half of them had men lying in them that were in as bad or worse condition than they were. The first request was for food but there was none to be had. A fifty five gallon drum of oily looking water stood near by, this was the drinking water for them all.

Walter sat first gazing around at all the men, hoping to see one familiar face but they were all strangers to him. He lay back down on the wooden shelf with a groan, lifting his injured leg carefully. He stretched out and his tortured muscles spasmed in pain. He spent a few moments listening to the mutters and groans around him then settled into a pain filled sleep. He awoke a short time later to hearing someone coughing near by.

He lay there thinking about his situation. It was spring again so that made it two years since it all began and a full year since he had been taken prisoner. He was lucky to still be alive, lucky that he had been taking a short vacation in his cabin when it all happened. He had heard some panicky messages about aliens and an invasion on the radio just before everything was cut off. Within minutes he found out there was no electricity, no radio, cell phone or computer service; no communication devices at all that worked. He had started into town but found the road clogged with cars and people running, screaming down the highway. He backed his SUV back up his long driveway, got out, and took to the woods. He still couldn't believe he'd been careless enough to get caught. He had been sticking to the smaller towns and raiding abandoned farm houses or stores for food. He had occasionally come across other stragglers but they were all headed to the big cities and he wanted no part of them. That seemed to be where the largest concentration of aliens resided. The smaller towns were patrolled but only by a few aliens at a time and so far he had managed to skirt around them.

He had been sitting on the floor of a small grocery store that he had been to several times before and saw no one at all in town. He was eating a can of peaches when they walked in on him. He knew better than to struggle or argue with them, he had seen more than a few men try that and they were immediately set ablaze. So he followed them out to their truck and became a prisoner.

They had apparently decided to set up some kind of command center there and the little town was now filled with aliens. He tried desperately to hear what they were planning but all he could ever make out was a bit of mumbling among them.

He had waited patiently for a chance to escape but no opportunity presented itself. He would have to be very careful before making any moves.

Now here it was a year later. The Army base where he was being held had filled to over flowing capacity so they had taken this group out and sent them to a larger base. The only problem was there was no truck to transport them so they were walked. Six guards on horseback had accompanied them. Skinner had thought he might try an escape but the guards were too close and too eager to use their little flame throwers. So he had marched quietly like the others.

He tried for sleep again and managed to find a half way comfortable position for his leg. This was not good. He would be laid up for weeks before he could travel on that leg. He hoped he would survive that long. He tore the sleeve off his flannel shirt and wrapped it tightly around his injured leg and hoped that it would help. The bone didn't seem to be out of place but he had heard as well as felt it snap and had no doubt that it was broken.

He had just managed to doze off when he felt a tug on his arm and heard his name whispered.

"Skinner, Skinner wake up. We've got to get you out of here."

"Huh?" He turned towards the voice and in the darkness could just make out the features of Alex Krycek. "Krycek? They got you too?"

"No. I'm free. And I'm going to get you out of here. Come on." Krycek tugged Skinner into a sitting position.

"I can't. My leg is broken." Skinner took a quick scan of the room and everyone else was still asleep.

"Shit! OK, we'll deal with it. Come on. Use me for a crutch." Krycek pulled him to his feet.

"Krycek, there's no way I can make it on this leg. And there is no place to go anyway."

"Yes you can, and yes there is. I've got a place. It's safe, there's plenty of fresh water and food."

"In your dreams, Krycek. There's no place like that left on earth." Skinner clung to the wooden shelf for support, reluctant to lean on Krycek.

"Yes there is and I'm taking you there. Now come on." He refused to take no for an answer and got an arm around Skinner's back and hauled him towards the back.

"You'll get us both killed. I'm not anxious to meet the business end of one of their little flame throwers." Skinner stalled.

"Most of them are asleep right now and the few on guard are busy eating. We can make it if you just come on." Krycek insisted.

At the back window they hesitated and Skinner could see there was no guard in sight. "Are you sure about this?"

"I am. They are all around front eating. Come on." Krycek eased the window open, sat on the sill and slipped outside. "Sit," he ordered and Skinner managed to sit down on the sill and slip both legs outside. Krycek got an arm around him again and hurried them off towards another group of buildings across the way.

"This is crazy, Krycek. We'll never make it. You can't haul me all the way out of here."

"I've been thinking about that and I think the sewer is the best route."

"The sewer?" Skinner wrinkled up his face in disgust.

"Uh huh. There's an access three buildings over that way but that's pretty close to where they are all sleeping. There's another down at the end of this block and over one. It's a lot farther but it's not patrolled as heavily. I think that's our best chance."

"And once we get into the sewer, where do we go then? The air and water is bad enough up here, I can't see living for any length of time in a sewer."

"The sewer is our new super highway. They don't seem to know about it or care about it. No one has ever seen any of them investigating the sewer system."

"There are others? Free, I mean?"

"Sure there are – a lot. But most of them want to stay in the cities, try and hook up with friends or family. Big mistake. Sooner or later they all get caught."

"So this place of yours isn't in the city?"

"No. It's a long way from here but I have transportation once we're out of the city. Come on now, walk."

They made their way passed building after building, sneaking across alleyways and onto the next building until they came to the end of the block.

"We're about half a block away now and it's all outside from here on. We'll stay close to the buildings and should be able to make it without getting caught."

"OK. Lead the way."

Krycek helped Skinner to sit and he worked the manhole cover carefully off and sat on the edge of the hole. "I'm going to go first to make sure it's OK. I'll be right back up to get you." Then he disappeared down the ladder into the darkness. Skinner shivered as he waited. The pavement was cold beneath him and his leg was throbbing. He should have stayed where he was! This was crazy! They would never make it. Krycek was crazy if he thought he could pull something like this off. And even if they did get out, where could they go? He didn't believe for a minute that Krycek had some mythical place with plenty of food and water. There was no way out of this mess that Mankind had gotten into. His mind filled with frightening thoughts but there was still the spark of a Marine left in him and he hated to give up with out a fight.

Krycek popped back up and said, "It's clear. Come on now. On your knees and back down into the hole. I'll be right behind you and guide your foot onto the rungs. It's only ten steps down."

Skinner did as he was told and with little difficulty managed to get his foot onto the first rung. From there it was a matter of hopping down one rung at a time while holding on to the rung above with both hands for support. Krycek stayed right below him in case he faltered. In no time they were at the bottom and the sewer smells assailed him. He coughed and gagged, then sagged against the damp wall and slid down to a sitting position.

"I know it stinks but try not to think about it. I'm going back up to get something out of that last warehouse we passed. It shouldn't take but five or ten minutes tops. Just wait right here for me, OK?"

"Where would I go?" Skinner asked sarcastically.

"You got a point. Oh, here." He handed Skinner something he could barely make out what it was in the dim light from Krycek's flashlight.

"What is it?" Skinner asked before taking it.

"Beef jerky. I thought you might be hungry."

Skinner grabbed at it with both hands ripped the package opened and took a huge bite.

"Slowly, Skinner. Slowly. There's plenty of food where we're going so just try and relax. We have a doctor too and he'll be able to fix your leg up. You'll be back on your feet in no time."

"You have a doctor?"

"Uh huh. We have a whole settlement. It'll take a couple of days travel but I'll get you there. Now just hold that thought until I get back."

"Why can't we just go? Why do you have to go back?"

"I saw something that we can use. If I can get it through that man hole, it'll make the trip a whole lot easier."

"Is it worth the risk of going back up there?"

"Yeah. I think it is." He started back up the ladder then added. "I'll be right back."

Skinner was left alone again with his thoughts. Could it really be possible? Could they make it out of there? Was there really a 'settlement' somewhere where they would be free; someplace with food and water? It seemed like too much to hope for. As he finished chewing the last bite he heard a noise above him.

"It's me." Krycek called down to him. "You'd better try and move a few feet away in case I drop this thing."

Skinner tried to see what he had but couldn't make anything out in the darkness. He scooted a few feet away as he heard the metallic banging against the ladder as something was being forced through the hole and down the ladder slowly. It wasn't until Krycek was near the bottom before Skinner recognized it. It was a small cart that some machinery had been sitting on.

"What are you going to do with that?"

"This is your chariot. We've got several miles of sewer to weave our way through. It's slippery and dangerous as it is. The last thing we need is for you to fall again and injure yourself further."

Skinner was speechless. Krycek scurried back up the ladder and hauled the cover back into place and came back down.

"Ready?"

"Uh huh." Skinner stood and with Krycek's help managed to climb up on the cart.

"OK. We could stay out of the muck by going on the side but that's slanted and will be a lot more difficult to navigate. I say we go right down the middle where it's flat and we'll make better time."

"You're the driver." Skinner said as they started off.

Krycek pushed and kept up as much speed as he could with the carts casters rolling easily through the liquid muck. "If your leg gets to bothering you and you need to stop, just let me know. We're relatively safe down here, as unpleasant as it is, so we can rest whenever you need to."

"I don't want to stop. Let's just get out of here as fast as we can." Skinner coughed and gagged again.

Krycek picked up the speed and they covered the area quickly. They made two stops for Krycek to catch his breath and let Skinner get down and rest his leg from the bouncing pace then they got back on the run again.

"Are you sure you know where you're going? These tunnels all look the same to me."

"Just keep that light on the side wall where the ladders are. Holler when you see a red rag tied to one. We should be getting pretty close now."

Another half mile and he saw it. "Red rag next ladder down," Skinner announced with relief.

"Thank God!" Krycek said as he pulled up to it and stopped. He breathed heavily for a few moments trying to catch his breath and then headed up the ladder.

Skinner sat patiently and waited. Soon he heard the scraping noise of the manhole cover being slid back and he caught a whiff of fresh air. He'd never smelled anything so sweet. Krycek hurried back down the ladder.

"Ready?"

"Absolutely!" Skinner reached eagerly for Krycek's arm and hopped down off the cart and over to the ladder. "What's going to be waiting for us when we get up there?" He asked before starting up.

"The old city dump. Beyond that, about half a mile through the woods and after that ten miles out to our next stop."

"Another ten miles?"

"Climb," Krycek ordered. "We can discuss geography after we get on our way."

Rung by rung Skinner hopped up the ladder, pausing at the top for a brief look around. It was indeed the center of an old dump. There were piles and piles of debris in all directions but no sign of any guards. He pulled himself up and sat on the edge.

"Wait here. I'm going back for the cart."

"Do you think we need it? We've got to be close to the waterfront. Maybe we could find a boat?" Skinner pulled his legs up and moved over a bit.

"A boat would be nice but it would be easy to spot and they guard the waterways pretty heavily." Krycek hurried back down the ladder.

Skinner sat breathing in deeply the night air, relieved to get the stench of the sewer out of his lungs. In no time he heard the clanging of metal against the man hole and Krycek popped out dragging the cart behind him. Skinner heaved a disgusted sigh as he climbed back on top, dreading the thought of a ten mile trip cross country on the top of that thing.

Krycek sensing his feelings said only, "It's better than walking. It's about a quarter of a mile to get to the woods and it will be light soon." They moved on silently.

The cart rode smoothly enough, its wheels apparently well lubricated by the muck from below. They made good time until they got to the woods. There the going was a lot rougher.

"I'm sorry," Krycek apologized after hitting one rut after another.

"It's OK." Skinner said, embarrassed that he had groaned so loudly.

"We need to stop for a while. I need to rest and we need to get that leg of yours stabilized."

Skinner didn't object, grateful to be down off that cart for a while. "How much farther?" He asked as they both slumped against a near by tree.

"We're almost clear of the woods then it's ten miles due west." Krycek's chest heaved as he fought to catch his breath.

"What kind of territory? Flat?" Skinner asked hopefully.

"More or less. It is open ground though and it's broad day light now."

"You think there will be patrols out this far?"

"I don't know. Once I catch my breath, I'll take an hour or so to scout around and see. The good thing about being this far out, you can hear if anything is coming. They always patrol in those trucks and you can hear them a long way off."

"That's good." Skinner made a mental note to keep his ears at the ready for any sign of engine noise.

"Here." Krycek reached into his pocket and came out with a small can of applesauce."

"Applesauce! I haven't had this in ages. My mother used to make her own. It was great." Skinner said as he used the small manual can opener that Krycek tossed him. "You really have a stash of food somewhere?"

"Uh huh. At the ten mile out mark. I also have an old motorcycle with a side car. So once we make this next ten miles, we're on wheels from then on."

"A motorcycle? Won't they hear the engine?"

"Not if we stay in the countryside. They patrol the roads but not the open country. I have a map and it has a direct route to where we're going and it's all through open countryside. As long as we stick to the map, we should be all right."

"And exactly where is it we're going?"

"Colorado."

"Colorado? Why the hell there? What's in Colorado?"

"Safety – a settlement in a small hidden valley. It's completely out of the way of any of the big cities."

"You mean the aliens haven't found it – yet."

"There's no way they can find it. It's totally hidden. I'll go into more details later. I need to take off now and check for patrols. I should be back in about an hour or so. Why don't you see if you can sleep a bit. Oh, here." Out of another pocket he produced a bottle of water.

Skinner grabbed it and drank. Never before had fresh water tasted so good. He rested his head against the tree.

"You can finish that bottle if you like. I have one more bottle left. That should get us the next ten miles."

"Yeah, OK. I won't drink it all though. It's best to save what we can. Make it last."

"Good idea." Krycek agreed as he stood, brushed the leaves and twigs from his jeans and started off on a jog.

Skinner stared after him and wondered if he'd ever be able to jog again. His leg throbbed so it wouldn't surprise him if the doctor said he'd lose it. All the pain it had caused him, he'd almost be glad to be rid of it. Before Krycek was out of sight, Skinner had dozed off.

He was awakened an hour and a half later by Krycek shaking him. "Skinner, come on. Wake up. We've got to get going."

"Huh? I thought you were going to scout around?" Skinner came awake confused.

"I did. The coast is clear all around. We need to get moving."

"I guess I dozed off."

"Good. You needed it. Let me take a look at that leg first."

Krycek felt the area carefully and said. "I can't feel anything, it's too swollen. Let's see if this will help." He placed two branches about a foot and a half long each on either side of the leg then secured them with strips of cloth torn from the shirt sleeve. "That's about all I can do for now." He said and helped Skinner to his feet and over to the metal cart and they were on their way again.

Once out on the flat ground the way was much easier. Krycek in his scouting had found an old animal trial and he followed that. It was smooth and heading in the right direction so he stayed on that as long as he could before veering off after a long spell. They stopped under some shade trees and rested.

"We've come nearly ten miles haven't we?" Skinner asked as he took a sip of water. Krycek drank thirstily too and answered.

"See those red boulders over there? That's the half way point. We're half way there."

"Another five miles then?"

"Uh huh. I need to rest first though." Krycek said and lay flat out on his back. His eyes closed and in minutes he was snoring softly.

Skinner tried to rest too but thought he should stay awake and listen for intruders. The guards might not be out this way but there could be other stragglers around and no telling if they would be friendly or not.

Thirty minutes later Krycek came to with a start and looked quickly at his watch. "Good. I didn't sleep too long. Are you ready?"

"Yeah. We might as well get this show on the road." Skinner said and secured the cap on his bottle of water and tucked it into his jacket pocket. Krycek took one last drink from his bottle and they headed out.

They made good time up until the last mile which was old farm land and filled with ruts. There was no smooth way through it so Krycek decided to skirt the field. It took about an hour longer but the way was much easier on both of them. They stopped at the end of a deep drainage ditch that had been long dry.

"We're here." Krycek announced with relief.

"Here? Between a field and a ditch? This is your rest stop?

"Yep." Krycek hopped down in the ditch that was about ten feet deep and started pulling at the weeds.

"What are you doing?"

Just then a large bundle of tumble weeds came away and Skinner could see a culvert.

"This is it. Come on." Krycek climbed out of the ditch and helped Skinner down off the cart. "What did you expect? A Best Western Motel?" He helped Skinner ease down the embankment.

"I didn't know what to expect." Skinner said as he hopped into the end of the culvert. He could see boxes and packs of things stacked up at the far end. Krycek brought the cart down into the culvert with them and pushed it towards the back, then pulled the weeds back into place, effectively 'closing the door' behind him as he came in, sat down and lit a small candle.

"It's not much but it's safe."

"I thought you said you had a motorcycle. I don't see one any where."

"It's at the other end of the culvert. We can access it through the other side. These two pieces of culvert were found here by some of our men. It seemed an ideal place to hide and rest up. We have spots like this all over the country side. Not all culverts but safe places, invisible from the outside where we have been stashing food, water, gasoline, weapons – whatever we might need."

"You have food? Could we see some of that now?" Skinner asked, wetting his dry lips with his tongue.

"Sure." Krycek dug around and brought out some cans and tossed two to Skinner, a can of green beans and a can of Spam. Then pulled out two more for himself. He flipped Skinner the can opener and got another one out for himself. They ate heartily and Krycek brought out two fresh bottles of water to finish off their meal.

"Oh, God, that was good. I always hated this crap," Skinner said holding up the Spam can and looking at the label. "I don't think I've ever tasted anything this good before."

"The words of a starving man." Krycek said with a soft smile.

"You really have a big food stash somewhere?"

"It's not just a food stash, Skinner. It's a complete settlement."

"You said that before but what exactly is it? A bunch of culverts like this?"

"No, not at all. It's a beautiful valley. You'll love it, I promise. I know you liked staying in your cabin in the woods; I followed you there a couple of times. It's going to be more like that."

"You have actual cabins?"

"Yes, a few that we built for some of the families. More are being built every day."

"In this valley? Who's doing the building?"

"There are over two hundred of us now. We started out with twenty five. We send runners out to the different camps for lists of names and occupations. We've gone in and brought out a few people at a time for the last two years. We have two doctors, four nurses, a couple of bakers, several cooks. We've got construction workers, mechanics, cowboys, farm hands, miners, a couple of wind mill men, two solar power men, and about twenty army special ops men among other miscellaneous military."

"A place that big will be found sooner or later." Skinner warned.

"Not this place." Krycek picked up a twig and drew a large oval in the dirt. "This valley is several thousand acres. It's surrounded by mountains all the way around. There was a small pass, about sixty feet wide but we blasted it closed."

"Then how do you get in and out? Climb the mountain? You're not thinking of taking me over one of those mountains are you? I'd never make it."

"One of the original twenty five was a geologist. He said there were probably mines in the mountains surrounding the valley. He hunted until he found one that went about three quarters of the way through the mountain then we blasted a passage the rest of the way through. Our miners keep an eye on the mine and it's their job to see to it that it's safe. The entrance to the mine is well hidden in the brush and very difficult to find."

"I see why you needed the miners. Who were the original twenty five and how did you all come together?"

"We were on an airplane when the shit hit the fan. We were about to land in Denver when we saw the air port was blazing. The pilot came back and told us there was an emergency situation and mentioned an invasion of some sort going on. He said he was going to fly on to an alternate landing site. I used my old Bureau ID to get into the cock pit and I heard some of the transmissions and I knew what was happening. I tried to explain it to the pilot and crew but I don't think they actually believed me until we got to our alternate airport and saw it was ablaze too. He flew on a while and decided he would land the plane in a corn field." Krycek cleared his throat and took another sip of water. "After we landed, I explained to the passengers what was happening and they were in a panic and refused to believe. I told them I was leaving the plane immediately and suggested they do the same. Twenty elected to leave with me and we barely made it into the woods when the trucks arrived. We watched as the aliens brought all the remaining passengers down and loaded them into trucks. Two men and a woman got belligerent and were instantly executed in front of the other terrified passengers. From then on, they all climbed obediently into the trucks. As the trucks were pulling out, four more jumped out of the back and joined us in the woods."

Skinner shook his head in disgust. "You can't argue with them. I've seen it over and over again. The least back talk and you go up in flames."

"Exactly. We stayed in the woods for a while trying to decide what to do. One of the men remembered hiking into the valley a few years before. He called it the hidden valley as no one else seems to ever have been in there. He described it to us and said it was about seventy miles away so we started walking. After about ten miles we came to a deserted little town. We spent the first night in a general store there and loaded up. The rest of the trip was made on bicycles. We had found some in the store and scoured the town until we came up with enough for us all. We attached small trash containers on either side of our bikes and filled them with food and water. We got all who needed them into jeans and boots and headed out the next morning. The going was much easier with the bikes and we made it in two and a half days."

"There was a small town about fifteen miles from the valley where we stopped. There were no patrols at all that we could find but the aliens had been there. The town was deserted and a few buildings had been burned, a few cars. We loaded up on more food, water, fishing gear, guns and ammunition, camping gear and headed out. Once we got there, we found it the ideal place."

"We had six soldiers in our original group and one of them knew where some Special Ops training was being done in New Mexico. We sent three of our soldiers down and they found ten that had survived and were laying low in the hills. He brought them back and they were exactly what we needed."

"The first thing everyone wanted to do was find their families so we sent our SO men out to see if they could find out where every one was being taken and to get us a list of names. Once those started coming in, we went out and brought out all the friends and relatives we could find as well as anyone else who might be able to help us. The work is still on going. They are also making maps and bringing back various other information."

"In the valley, we have put in crops of vegetables, planted some fruit trees and there's a crystal clear river running right through the middle that's full of fish and there's game in the woods. We've got some buildings up now, barracks type structures."

"It does sound great."

"It is. It's been a lot of hard work and believe it or not, everyone has pitched in and done their fair share of it. So far, we haven't had any trouble within the group. I'm sure that will happen some day but right now, everyone is just so glad to be safe and free from the aliens that they are glad to do whatever it takes to get along."

"Survival is a pretty good carrot to dangle in front of people. How long do you think it will take us to get there?"

"A day and a half, maybe two. It depends on how long you can travel with that leg."

"I can travel. You said the motorcycle had a side car?"

"Yeah. I'm not sure how comfortable it will be."

"I'm not concerned with comfort right now. I just want to get someplace safe and have a doctor take a look at this leg. I've got to get back on my feet as soon as possible."

"We've got a surgeon and a regular family doctor. What ever they need to treat your leg, I'll see that they get. We make regular forages out for food, medical supplies and tools, whatever we need."

"That sounds very dangerous."

"It is. But we know when the different areas are patrolled and we stay in on those days."

"And you just go out and get whatever you need?"

"Pretty much. We have brought back an entire medical reference library for the doctors as well as different tools and equipment."

"And how do you communicate with one another?"

"We do all communications by runner. We don't use any radios, walkie-talkies; nothing that could be traced.

"That's smart. Any transmission could be traced. And all these supplies and equipment enters into the valley through the mine?"

"That's right."

"And how stable is that mine?"

"Solid granite mostly. The last part that we blasted through, which was about a quarter of a mile, we shored up with extreme care."

They were silent in thought for a while then Skinner asked. "So how did you find me? I wasn't in that camp long enough to get my name on any list. And why did you come after me? I don't have any special skills."

"Your name was on a list but when I got to the camp you had been shipped out. I got into the main office and found out where they had sent you. And yes you do have skills we need. You are a born leader. People take one look at you and know they can trust you. We need men like you. We are working on laying out a small city and none of us knows much about that. We've found an architect but he doesn't know anything about planning. Building, he knows, but not planning."

"What do I know about city planning?"

"As much as the rest of us do, maybe even a little more. But the main thing we need is a leader. Once you're there and they get to know you, I'm betting you'll become our Mayor."

"Mayor! I always hated politics." Skinner scoffed.

"Well don't shine up your top hat too soon. We have to get you there first." Krycek stood up and capped his water bottle. "You ready to take a little ride?"

"One more question. How did you know it was me? I listed my occupation as carpenter."

"When I saw your name on one of the lists, Walter Skinner, carpenter, I knew you had figured out that all government employees were being executed. I had seen you building book shelves at your cabin and just figured it was you."

Skinner got to his feet. "OK. Let's ride."

They rode until dark and stopped at another place that had been set up for a rest stop. This one was hidden in among a pile of rocks. There was a little jog in the pile, just big enough to squeeze the motorcycle in between so it could work its way back in where there was an over cropping of rocks. Krycek parked and helped Skinner out of the side car. They were completely out of sight, back in among the rocks. Krycek pulled out some cans and opened them and listened as Skinner coughed and coughed.

"That cough is getting worse," he said as he handed Skinner some canned vegetables.

"I know. Does this doctor of yours have any penicillin? I think I'm going to need it."

"You running a temperature?"

"Uh huh. Since about noon. Chest hurts. I can feel it filling up."

"We should be there late tomorrow afternoon."

"Good." Skinner sat the half eaten can down. "What I really need is some sleep." He curled up on his side and dozed off.

Krycek worried half the night but finally managed to sleep. He was awakened a short time later by Skinner's racking cough. It was bitterly cold and Skinner was shivering. Krycek eased over next to him and wrapped his arms around him. Skinner mumbled something but Krycek shushed him. They both dozed off again.

By morning, Skinner was worse. Krycek tried to get some chicken soup broth down him but Skinner would have none of it. A sip or two and then the coughing would start again. He was burning up with fever. Krycek poured the uneaten broth into one of the empty water bottles, capped it and put it in is pocket. He would try and get more down Skinner later on. It was a struggle but he finally managed to get Skinner into the side car, get it turned around and started out just as the first rays of dawn were casting pink shadows on the horizon.

By noon they had stopped three times. Each time he managed to get just a swallow or two into Skinner but he didn't take him out of the side car. He was in and out of consciousness and there was no way Krycek could get him back into the side car if he was unconscious. Krycek ate a quick bite then took his jacket off and wrapped it around Skinner in an attempt to make him more comfortable. Skinner protested with a weak, "No, you need that," but was too feeble to resist. He checked to make sure Skinner's leg wasn't getting twisted by all the movement and then they were off.

Krycek set out again at full speed. He was in more familiar territory now and comfortable taking the terrain full throttle.

Skinner awoke to darkness, the feeling of movement. "Krycek!" he called out in a hoarse whisper.

"Right here, Skinner." Krycek stopped and bent over, placing his hand in the middle of Skinner's chest. "We're in the mine. We're almost there. The entrance to the valley is just a short distance now."

"We're there? Good. Can you get the doctor for me?"

"Sure thing. I've already raised a signal that I'm coming through. I'll take you straight to the doctor." There was no answer and a closer look showed that Skinner had slipped into unconsciousness again. .

"We need the doctor." Krycek called to one of the men waiting for them at the entrance into the valley.

Those were the last words Skinner remembered hearing. He was not aware of being lifted onto a stretcher and carried to the waiting truck, nor of the ride through the corn fields or crossing the stream. He didn't see the tiny cafeteria/hospital or the anxious faces as they reached for him and placed him tenderly in bed.

"What happened to him?" The doctor asked.

"He fell, broke his leg. He has a terrible cough too and he's been running a high temperature the last day and a half."

"Probably pneumonia." the doctor said as he listened to the chest sounds. They had a hard time getting his jeans off the swollen leg and ended up cutting them off. "Oh, oh, oh." The doctor grimaced.

"What? You can fix it, can't you? You've got the stuff, right?" Krycek asked.

"I can try. That's all I can promise."

The next few days were touch and go and Alex spent a good deal of his time sitting beside Skinner's bed talking to him. He remembered waking now and again, hearing Krycek's voice and dozing off again. On the third day he awoke.

"Krycek?" His voice creaked weakly.

"Hey, you're awake. Welcome back to the land of the living. How are you feeling?" He came away from the window and back over to the chair beside Skinner's bed.

"Weak as a piss ant." He answered as Krycek held a cup of water and a straw up for him to sip. "Thanks," that tiny effort exhausted him.

"Your fever broke last night and Doctor Kim says you're going to be just fine. Right now we need to get plenty of fluids into you and then some nourishing food and you'll be back to your old self in no time."

"We were in a tunnel," He tried to remember.

"Yes – the mine shaft; the entrance to the valley."

"It's all true then? Everything you said? There really is a group here of free men and you have a doctor?"

"All true. But it's free men and women. Right now, the women are few but we are bringing in more and more. Whenever we see someone any of us know on a list, we try and bring them in."

"That's how you found me; on a list."

"That's right. You think you could eat a little something? Maybe some broth or some Jello?"

"You actually have Jello? I haven't seen any of that in two years. Not since the fall."

"I know. One of our teams found a warehouse full of the stuff, just a couple days from here. Doc Kim keeps close tabs on it though. You can only get it through him."

Skinner grunted. "I used to hate that mushy stuff but whenever I was hospitalized, they were always shoving it down me."

"Yeah, I know. I think it's got some great healing powers or something. I've had more than my share shoved down my throat too."

Skinner tried to move a little bit and groaned as pain shot through his leg. He reached down in a panic, "My leg!"

"It's all right. It's still there. Dr. Kim did a little slicing and dicing and got you all fixed up. He had to reset it; it wasn't in place the way it was supposed to be."

Skinner strained to see and Krycek pressed the button to raise the head of his bed. "See. It's still there."

All Skinner could see were the tips of his toes sticking out of some bandages. He wiggled them and grimaced at the pain.

"I'm in a hospital?"

"It's our version of a hospital. On one side it's a cafeteria, on this side, it's a hospital and the kitchen is in between.

"All in one building?"

"Uh huh. It all runs off a couple of generators we managed to haul in here."

"Through the tunnel?"

"Uh huh."

"So you have electricity? Where do you get the gasoline to run the generators?"

"We have three sources of power here. We managed to snag a couple of solar power experts from a camp in Arizona and with their instructions, we put up solar panels. We also have a wind mill man. We've got several of them up around on the mountain side, generating power. And to answer your question about the gasoline, there is plenty of it still around if you have a pump to get it out of the ground."

"And you do?"

"We do. We got a couple of guys who were truck drivers for Chevron. They know all about handling the stuff."

"Don't tell me you have a tanker in here?"

"Not in the valley, no. We do have one parked in the bushes just outside. We keep it well hidden and the drivers keep it filled for us."

"Sounds like quite a set up."

"Well, well. How's my patient this morning?" Dr, Kim, a diminutive Vietnamese who looked barely out of his teens walked into the room smiling.

Skinner stiffened up, old memories clouding in around him; he said nothing. Krycek sensed the problem and commented for him.

"He says he's weak as a piss ant and he needs some food." Krycek grinned.

"Ah, you're hungry? Good sign, good sign." And to Krycek he said, "I must examine my patient now if you will excuse please." He nodded towards the door.

"I'll check back with you later, Walter." He gave a two finger wave and left the room.

CHAPTER SEVEN

Despite his apprehension, Skinner ended up liking the doctor. He didn't expect to, but the guy was funny, always cracking a joke and there was no doubt about the fact that he knew his business. He joked off Skinner's initial brusqueness by telling him a story about a butterfly and a bear. Skinner sneered but he got the point. Just because the bear was a thousand times larger than the butterfly, there was no need to eat it to prove anything. There was nothing to prove; the entire universe could see that the bear was bigger and stronger than the butterfly. In the end the bear accepts the butterfly's help and he was shown a safe path through the woods, away from the hunters. He would accept Dr. Kim's help but he wouldn't like him. By the end of the week they were fast friends, Skinner was up on his feet with the walking cast that had been placed on his injured leg, and he was peeking out the windows watching the goings on in the village. His cough was nearly gone; he was eating several small meals a day and could feel his strength returning.

He had been given crutches, which he detested but it did enable him to get around. Once on his feet again, he felt better – a bit of control in the midst of this uncontrollable situation. He still had questions but had no idea where to get the answers. He liked Dr. Kim, even though he hadn't wanted to, but he had few answers to the many questions that plagued Skinner.

Alex visited with him every day and they would sit and talk for hours. Skinner asked if there was anyone else in camp that they knew and was told no. They talked about Mulder and Scully and wondered and hoped that they were hidden out somewhere. They wondered if there were other settlements like theirs where free people were struggling to survive. They discussed their situation and wondered if it was world-wide or just the U.S. and what the eventual outcome would be. Alex always gave his standard answer to that. They couldn't worry about the future right now. All they could do was survive and help as many others as possible to survive as well. Skinner reluctantly agreed.

One afternoon as they talked Skinner asked, "So why me, Krycek? Why did you go all that way just to get me out? I thought you hated me."

Krycek sat on the stool beside Skinner's bed and shrugged. "It was something to do."

Skinner glared at him, not accepting the glib answer. "You told me you've been going to the different camps and taking out people who were needed. I have nothing to offer to the planning and setting up of a new community.

"I also said we were taking out family and friends."

"I'm neither of those to you or anyone else here."

"Maybe I just wanted someone here that I knew, someone that I knew I could rely on."

Skinner stared at him until Krycek was uncomfortable enough to leave. None of it made any sense. He wondered if his mind was still muddled from his illness. There was something behind Krycek's traveling half way across the country to rescue him. He just couldn't figure out what it was. He was too weak to give it much thought and relaxed and dozed off again.

He paced the floor of the small two bed dispensary and used his bad leg as much as he could with the crutches. It was awkward and uncomfortable but at least he could make it to the bathroom by himself and no longer had to suffer the indignity of using the bed pan. He spent a lot of time looking out the window and watching the small community go about its business.

After ten days of mostly bed rest, Skinner talked Dr. Kim into releasing him. He was given quarters in the one of the men's barracks. He enjoyed walking around, greeting the people who were all friendly and welcomed him warmly. He was about to check out the cafeteria when he heard a yell and everyone headed towards the front of the camp site at the rivers edge and watched three motorcycles crossing the bridge and heading their way. It wasn't until they were closer that you could see each was carrying a passenger.

Two young men in high school letter jackets burst from the group and ran to them calling out, "Dad! Dad!" It was a touching reunion, with hugs and tears and handshakes. The three new comers were welcomed then escorted to the dispensary for Dr. Kim to check out. One of them had an arm around each son and wept openly.

Skinner watched until they disappeared into the dispensary and continued his wandering.

There were six buildings in their little community and he could see two more were in the process of being erected. All were the same style; large rectangular one story buildings, a door on the front and the back, and small rectangular windows along the top on both sides. They resembled the old military barracks that Skinner remembered. He found out that there were three men's dormitories, one for the women, one was the combination cafeteria/kitchen/hospital and one was for storage. The dormitories had twelve bunk beds along each long wall with a shelf unit in between for each person's meager possessions. Each building could accommodate forty eight people.

Everyone seemed to be busy doing things. Those working on the buildings were being assisted by smiling chatting others who were handing them whatever they needed or bringing them drinks. Some were unloading lumber from a truck and stacking it, some were busy sanding long boards, while others were painting the latest building that was completed. There was a constant hum of sawing and hammering going on.

Over by the kitchen two men and one woman were sitting outside peeling huge pots of potatoes and talking and laughing. They waved at him and called out their welcomes to him. He wandered around, enjoying the freedom, the fresh air, and the thought that he no longer had to hide out in deserted buildings and scavenge for food for survival.

He found Alex, sitting at a small card table under some trees with several others; obviously making plans of some sort.

"I see Dr. Kim finally let you go." Alex greeted him with a smile. Someone brought a chair for him and Alex introduced him around. They were planning their next retrieval for after lunch and making lists of what was needed.

"You want to go along for the ride?" Alex asked him. "It's a small town, about an hours drive. We know the schedule the aliens have for inspecting the small towns around here and they haven't deviated from that schedule in two years. They were through this town two days ago. So they are no where in the area and there's no chance of them hearing our trucks. I can't promise you it's totally safe, once in a while we do run across other scavengers but they usually take off like rabbits when they see us. We haven't seen anyone there in the last few months."

"Oh yeah, I'd like to go. What are we going for?" Walter answered then asked, excited at the prospect of actually doing something for a change even though it was just a ride into town.

"This is just a supply run. We really lucked out with this little town. It has a WalMart, a Sears and a Home Depot and we have been unloading the warehouses. We're taking three trucks this time. This is mainly a maternity run."

"A what?"

"A maternity run. One of our women is about ready to give birth in a few weeks. The other women asked if we could pick up a few things for her. I'm ashamed to say that none of us even thought about that."

"Well men never had to think about such things before. The women just naturally gathered that stuff up for themselves and men never had to deal with it." One of the men at the table offered.

"The women don't go on these trips with you?" Skinner asked.

"Not lately. At first they did when our only transportation was bicycles and then wagons."

"Bicycles? Wagons?" Skinner asked. "You went out scouting for supplies on bikes or are we talking motorcycles? What kind of wagons? Station wagons?"

"No, it was actual bicycles – twenty five of them. That's how we got here originally. And that's how we went on those first scavenging trips. We didn't know how often they patrolled the small towns and we were afraid to use anything with a motor."

"So you biked thirty miles? How much could you carry back on a bike?"

"Yeah, we did. There is another little town about fifteen miles out. That's where we biked back and forth the most. We came up with some rather ingenious ideas for hauling stuff. And with ten or fifteen of us going in at a time we were able to bring back what we needed to get started. And the wagons were horse drawn farm wagons we came across. They were a great help."

"And I take it this closest town has been emptied by now?"

"Of just about everything useful. It's still being patrolled every Tuesday morning at ten A.M. a truck rolls through there and they glance around. They don't even get out of the trucks. We try and keep every thing on the streets exactly as it was. We have siphoned all the gasoline out of the vehicles though, and emptied the town of all the food.

"They could change up their routine and come on a different day."

"They could, but they haven't in two years. We are very careful when we go in. There are enough of us and we post guards on either end of town. We never stay in town longer than necessary to get what we need and get right back out. There's no sense in taking any chances."

"That's where you got the motorcycles?"

"That's where I got mine; the one with the sidecar." Alex grinned as they looked over at the stand of about a dozen cycles standing nearby.

"The others were picked up here and there on different missions."

"I'd like to hear about some of these missions."

"Our bank president has the records of every mission." The geologist, Parks said and motioned to the man across the table from him.

"I'm not a bank president any more, Parks. I'm just a record keeper now."

"Records are important," Skinner said and they all nodded in agreement.

Just then they were approached by four young men. "We're ready whenever you are, Alex." One of them said.

"Sounds good to me. I want to drive one of the trucks this time. I've got a passenger who'll be accompanying me."

"Hey, glad to see you're out of the hospital." The one guy said. "Did you get Kim's OK to take him along? He'll have your head if you take him without permission."

"This is just a milk run and Kim released him. What does he expect Walter to do, just sit around and do nothing? We're just taking him for a ride, that's all."

Walter stood with the help of his crutches and they headed towards the three trucks that were now waiting on the one small dirt road that meandered through the area. Alex opened the passenger door of the lead truck and told the driver to grab a motorcycle as he would be driving this morning. He helped Walter into the truck and went around and climbed in.

They made their way slowly towards the small bridge, then it was through the fields and along the valley edge until they came to the tunnel. Walter watched it all in fascination, his first view of the area from this vantage point.

The tunnel door had been opened for them and they drove slowly through the opening. Lanterns secured to the walls lit their way.

"This place is amazing." Walter said as they exited into the bright sunlight into what appeared to be a pile of rocks. They weaved their way around the boulders and out into flat countryside. He could see men behind them swirling tree branches in the dirt to wipe out the tire marks. Soon they were in a rocky area where no tracks were made.

The drive across the fields in the four-wheel drive trucks was un-eventful. Walter enjoyed being out and around but he was a bit un-easy about being in an un-secured area. The last thing he wanted was to get stuck back in another detention camp. A shiver ran through him at that thought.

"You all right?" Alex asked.

"Yeah, just a little nervous about getting caught out here."

"We are way out in the middle of nowhere, Walter. The main roads are patrolled daily, the side roads are patrolled weekly along with the small towns. They were through here two days ago and aren't expected back this way for another five days. They have never been seen out in the open areas and they haven't varied their patterns since we first started monitoring them." Alex assured him.

"These trucks make a lot of noise. What if they're heard? Won't someone come and investigate?"

"The closest main road is about thirty miles from the valley in the opposite direction that we're traveling. Our motorcyclists are out in front and will signal if there is any danger."

"I guess I just won't be comfortable until we're back in the valley again." Walter sighed.

"You'll be all right. We usually spend about an hour in town, sometimes two, and then we'll head back. Or I can turn this truck around and take you back now and the others can go on without us if you're that uncomfortable."

"No, don't do that. I'm fine; just a little nervous."

Their first stop was Sears where they loaded up on baby items. They decided to get two of everything as keep one set in storage for the next baby to be born. Alex helped with the loading but Walter mostly hobbled around and watched. On push carts from the warehouse area, a couple of guys brought out large empty cartons that once held large appliances and they went up and down the baby aisles and filled the boxes with; formula, diapers, wipes, blankets, clothes, baby food etc. Walter watched in awe as the boxes filled up and were hauled out and loaded in the truck along with the cribs, high chairs, play pens, swings, bassinets, strollers etc.

The first truck was completely loaded with the baby items, the second truck had hit the linen department and brought out boxes and filled them with towels, sheets, blankets, and pillows. The third truck was loading up over at Home Depot, bringing in more lumber.

Walter was leaning against the side of the truck waiting for the others to finish loading when something caught his eye – movement in the building across the street. It was a fast food place with nothing of any possible value. He counted heads and realized that none of their group was over there.

He turned back to Alex and said quietly, "We're being watched."

"Down on the corner? It's one of our guys."

"Building across the street. I saw the blinds open with two fingers then close again. Someone's in there."

Alex took a deep breath. "Ok. We pretty much know it's not aliens or we'd be ashes in the street by now. It must be a straggler. You stay here and watch the front. I'll circle around back."

Walter nodded in agreement and tried to act casual as he stood there, his heart pounding like it was in a five mile foot race. He watched Alex speak to one of the guys and they went back into Sears and out of sight. The other men kept on loading.

He heard the scuffle and then three of them walked out of the front door of the fast food place, Krycek, his buddy and in between them was a scruffy, bedraggled old man, protesting every step of the way. "Leave me alone! I don't have to do what you say. There ain't no law no more!"

They walked him across the street and stopped next to the trucks. "I didn't take all that much!" he was protesting. "Not like you boys. You been taking stuff by truck loads!"

"You've seen us before?" Alex asked him.

"Sure I have; every time you come into town."

"Why didn't you ever contact us? You could have gone back with us, where it's safe."

"It's safe enough right here. They come through here the same day every week. Me and Millie just get ourselves down in the cellar and sit it out until we're sure they're gone. You folks, I never know what day you're going to show up."

"Is Millie your wife?" Walter asked.

"No, no. That was Alice. She was a real good woman too. She took sick first winter after those heathens came. There weren't no electricity no more. I tried to keep her warm but she just got sicker and sicker. I think she was scared sick. She just didn't want to get up outta that bed no more. Everyone was gone. We'd a been gone too if we hadn't a been down in the basement stacking up the peaches Alice had just canned. We heard the commotion and peeked out the basement window and saw what was happening. It was awful; just awful." He choked up and couldn't go on for a minute. "When we seen what was happening, them invaders or whoever they are, burning people in the street, we hid in the closet under the cellar stairs. They come in the house and even come down in the cellar but they didn't find us. We was too smart for them!" He pulled a filthy rag out of his back pocket and wiped at his nose. "We searched the town but wasn't no body left. We kept figuring somebody would come, maybe the Army or something, but no body never did. My Alice and me, we was married for forty three years, never spent a night apart and then she was gone. Just like that. I put her in the ground myself, out back by the rose bushes. She always loved those rose bushes."

"So who is Millie, someone else that outsmarted them?" Alex asked.

"Come on over to my house and you can meet her. It's just two blocks over that way."

"You men finish up here and I'll meet you over at Home Depot." Krycek said and he loaded the old man in the truck along with Skinner and they headed out, the old man pointing out the way.

They stopped in front of a dilapidated old house, with a four-foot chain link around it and they all got out.

"You think maybe you should stay in the truck?" Krycek asked Skinner quietly.

"Nah. I can't see that there'd be any trouble here."

"Come on in. It's kinda messy but I wasn't exactly expecting company." The old man produced a ring of keys out of his pockets and unlocked the gate first and then the front door. They walked in and were greeted by a very fat, very pregnant little black and white dog that got up from her place on the couch and went into spastic wiggles as they all entered.

"Folks, meet Millie. She's my buddy, aren't you old girl." He lifted the dog carefully into his arms and nuzzled her.

"Millie's a dog." Krycek said to Skinner with an indulgent grin.

"So I see."

"I figured you got some place some where around here. I seen you come in for supplies. I seen you back when you come in on those bikes; before you got yourselves them trucks."

"Why didn't you ever come out and talk to us?" Krycek asked.

"I was doing all right, right here." They glanced around and saw stacks and stacks of food filling almost every square inch of floor and leaving just a pathway to get through from one room to another.

"Why not come back with us? We've got a nice settlement going over in a valley not far from here. We've got it fixed up real nice. We've got a couple of doctors and a lot of real nice people."

"I figured you been doing some building. You near cleaned out the lumber yard."

"There's plenty of room. We've got a whole little community going."

"Welllll, " he drug the word out. "I didn't figure you'd want no old drunk over there. You got women and all. I ain't much good company any more. Not since Alice left.

'Sides, I'd hate to leave Millie. She needs me."

"You could bring Millie along. We don't have a single dog in our community. We've got horses and chickens but no dogs." Krycek said.

"I could bring Millie?" His face brightened, showing gaps where he was missing teeth.

"Sure! We've got some kids and they would love it when the puppies come. They don't have a whole lot to do and having some puppies in the community would really brighten things up for them."

"How long has it been since you had a drink?" Skinner asked him. He was curious as he smelled no alcohol on the man.

"About a year. I drunk up everything I could find after Alice passed. Them was hard times, here all alone. I figured I'd just drink until I died and I drank and drank and drank untill I passed out but I always woke up afterwards. I got really sick of the stuff. Got tired of throwing up, so I quit. I ain't touched a drop in about a year."

"Well I don't see any reason why you should stay here alone when we've got this great little community." Krycek said.

"So what would I have to do? I mean, I'm too old to do any building and never did learn how to ride a bike. Or would I be a prisoner or something?"

"No, no; of course not. You could do whatever you were comfortable with doing. There are so many things that need doing." Krycek faltered as he searched for ideas.

"You like to fish?" Skinner asked after seeing a photo of the old man on the mantle in fishing gear and holding up a big trout.

"I love it but I ain't done any in years."

"We have a river running through our valley and it's just filled with tasty trout!" Krycek added.

"No kidding? I used to have a place where I went and always caught me some big brownies. I'd bring 'em home and Alice would fry them up for dinner."

"Well, that settles it then. You're coming back with us. You can bring Millie here, and you can fish till your hearts content. I don't suppose you play cards?" Krycek asked.

"I used to. But Alice always got on to me about it. She didn't like my friends coming over and filling the house up with noise. She liked the quiet."

"Well, we've got a couple of Gin Rummy players always looking for a game."

The old man grinned his gap-toothed grin. "Can I take my stuff?"

"What stuff would that be?" Krycek asked.

"Just a few clothes, my photo album here, and my beer stein my uncle brought me back from Germany during the big war and my banjo."

"You play a banjo? That's great! You'll be the first musician in our group! Get your stuff together and we'll throw them in the back of the truck."

"And you're sure it's all right to take a dog? Cause I won't go without Millie."

"Positive!" Krycek said and the dog was shoved into his arms while the old man hurried around and got his things together.

He stuffed everything into an old suitcase and tied it shut with a piece of rope. He took Millie back into his arms and told Krycek, "We'd better grab some of this dog food too. I got the special expensive kind for Millie cause she needs it right now and I stocked up on canned milk and puppy chow for the pups."

One of their other trucks pulled up behind theirs and called out that they came to see what was taking so long. They had room in their truck and hauled out bag after bag of dog food, and puppy chow.

The old man sat with Millie on his lap, in between Krycek and Skinner as they pulled up to the Home Depot where their third truck was being loaded.

"You know there's someone else in town too." He said matter-of-factly.

"There is? Who? We haven't seen anyone but you."

"Oh I haven't seen her either but I know there's a woman here. She's got a baby too."

"How do you know that if you haven't seen her?" Skinner asked.

"I've seen her leavings." He said as if that explained everything.

"Leavings?" Krycek asked.

"Uh huh. She's been over there to Sears & Roebuck too. She left some bloody kotex and some dirty smelling diapers there. She's got a baby all right. I seen some open baby food jars."

"Jesus!" Krycek swore. "A woman out there alone with a baby. You think she was just passing through or have you seen other signs?"

"She's still here I think. I seen them dirty diapers around now for at least three, four months."

"Shit!" Krycek cursed again. "And we just loaded up all the baby food we could find."

They climbed out of the truck and explained their dilemma to the others. They debated whether to try and search for the woman and decided against it. It was getting late and they needed to return to the valley before dark. They decided they would come back the next day first thing in the morning and start a search.

They started out and just got back up on the main street when a little girl darted out in front of them, waving her hands back and forth. She looked to be about five or six years old, her hair twisted up in about a dozen little pony tails, her black face shiny with tears.

"Mister, mister. My Mommie needs help, she's bleeding! Please help, Mister."

"No! No! Keisha come back here!" The scream came from an alley and they turned to see the haggard looking woman holding a baby and leaning against a fence post, her wiry black hair sticking out in all directions and eyes red-rimmed from crying. She was obviously in pain.

Krycek slammed on the brakes and they all got out.

"Please don't take my little girl, she don't know what she's talkin 'bout. Keisha, you git over here this minute! Oh Jesus, help me," she wailed.

"She's bleeding bad, Mister. Can you help her?" She ran to Krycek. The little girl was clearly terrified but determined to find help for her sick mommy.

"Come here, sweetheart." He bent down and she went to him and took his hand.

"Mommy's real bad sick. She says Jesus will help us but we waited and waited and Jesus didn't come. Are you Jesus?"

"No, Sweetheart. My name is Alex. Is yours Keisha?"

The little girl shook her head vigorously.

"Please, please don't take her. Jesus, help me. Don't let them take my little girl." The mother wailed.

Krycek held the little girl's hand and walked the few steps over to her mother.

"I have no intention of taking your daughter away from you. I'm here to help. She says you're bleeding?"

"I'm all right. I be just fine. You go along now and help somebody else. We don't need no help."

Skinner walked over to them, made eye contact with Krycek and looked to the ground where the woman was standing. Krycek looked down and saw the drops of blood darkening the dirt where she stood.

"You're bleeding. Pretty badly it looks like." Krycek said.

"Oh it's just a woman thing. You go on now. My girls and me, we be just fine."

"I can't leave you like this. You need help. We're here to help. We have a place, a safe place with plenty of food and water and doctors and nurses. They can help you."

"Ain't nobody can help me." She wiped her running nose on her shoulder and pulled her little girl around behind her.

"But Momma, you said Jesus would help us. He said his name is Alex but I think he's Jesus." The little girl stuck her head out from behind her momma and pointed at Alex.

"Ma'am, I understand that you're frightened. Everybody's frightened after what happened. But, just like you, and that man over there," He pointed to the old man. "Some of us didn't get caught. We found a safe place and we're building a nice community. We'd like you and your children to come join us."

"You got any colored people there?" She sniffed.

"No, but if you come we'll have three. And there are new people joining us all the time. Sooner or later, I'm sure we'll have more."

"So what I'd be doin? Washin your clothes and warmin your bed?"

"No. Everyone is free in our community. You'd be welcome to do anything you wanted. There's always lots of work to be done. But first you would be seen by our doctor. He can help whatever's wrong with you."

"Nobody won't be tryin to do me?" She asked as she crossed her legs and held them together tightly.

"Honey, nobody is going to do anything to you that you don't want them to. You have my word. Come on. Let's get you in the truck. You can lie down in the back. That second truck there is full of blankets and pillows. It's about an hours drive from here. We need to get started so we get there before dark."

"Is this for real? I ain't gonna hafta be nobody's maid or nothin?"

"Yes, it's for real and no, you won't have to take care of anyone else but yourself and your two beautiful daughters. There are other women in the group. They will be tickled to death to have another women join them. You can stay in their barracks. It's just for the womem. No men allowed. You and your girls will be given bunks there. You'll be warm and dry and there's heat when cold weather comes."

"Please, Momma! Please! Let's go! You said Jesus would come for us and he did!"

"Ok, Ok. Can you wait just a minute while I get my stuff?"

"Sure, but we need to leave as soon as possible. It's a long drive and it's all cross country. We stay off the roads."

"My stuff's just in the back. I was lookin' for another place to stay. I'll be right back."

"Can I help you carry it?" Krycek offered and followed her back behind the building. They came out a few seconds later, Krycek pulling a large red suitcase on wheels.

They loaded the woman and her two girls and their suitcase in the back of the truck and she immediately lay down on the plastic covered blankets and pillows. "If you're cold, you can open some of these up." Krycek opened one of the blankets and tossed it to her.

The little girl pulled the blanket up over herself and her momma and flashed Krycek a big smile. "Thank you, Jesus." she said sweetly.

"Alex! I told you my name is Alex." Krycek said. The little girl just giggled.

They got underway and Skinner looked over at Krycek and snickered, "Jesus – Huh!"

They both laughed. "I've been called a lot of things before but that was definitely a first."

"Oh fuck!" The old man sitting between them said.

"What's the matter?" They both asked him.

"Am I dead?" He looked from Krycek to Skinner and back to Krycek again. "If I am, it's Ok. I mean, you're takin' me to this place where there's plenty of food and water, where I can fish and play cards and keep my dog and play my banjo. If that ain't heaven; what is?"

They roared with laughter.

Skinner was enjoying the first real laugh he had had in two years and he said to the old man, "Does he look like Jesus to you?"

"I don't know. What does Jesus supposed to look like?" The old man asked eyeing Krycek.

"Oh please, not you too!" Krycek could hardly drive he was laughing so hard.

"Before Alice left she was talkin' a lot about Jesus. She said he would come for her soon and one day he would come for me and take me to her. Is my Alice in this community of yours? Are you takin' me to her?"

"Look," Skinner got control of himself. "This is Alex Krycek. I have known him for many years and I can assure you, he is **not** Jesus."

"So the two of you are long time friends then?"

Krycek and Skinner looked at each other and Krycek said, "Not exactly friends."

"Oh. Well, hell. That's Ok with me. I've always been broad minded about such things."

When Krycek and Skinner realized what the old man meant, they burst into laughter again. The rest of the trip was un-eventful and they arrived at the mine entrance right at dusk.

They drove through the mine and out into the valley and the doorways were closed and secured behind them. The man and woman and two children were taken directly to the dispensary where they were taken care of immediately while the women hovered around oohing and aahing over the children and welcoming the new comers.

Krycek drove Skinner over and stopped in front of his barracks. "It's been a long day. I hope we didn't tire you out too much."

"I wouldn't have missed it for the world. Thank you for taking me along. I'm ready to go on another trip any time."

"I figured you'd enjoy the ride. I didn't figure on so much excitement though."

"I'm fine. See you at dinner then – Jesus." Skinner said as he hopped down out of the truck. They both dissolved in laughter again.

He hardly recognized the newcomers when he saw them in the cafeteria an hour later. They had been all cleaned up; the old man had his hair cut and trimmed his beard. And one of the high chairs had been set up for the new seven month old baby.

At dinner, after all the debris had been cleared away, Krycek introduced all the newcomers to the group. Another farmer, a baker and the father of two of the boys who turned out to be a plumber, had come in the morning and the old man Bernie, the woman Luren and her two children they had just brought in. All were given a warm welcome.

After the meeting as everyone went their separate ways, Krycek caught up with Skinner as he was walking back to his barracks. "Skinner, wait up." He trotted up beside him.

"Is your bunk Ok? They didn't put you next to Harry, did they?"

"The bunk is fine. No, Harry is down at the other end."

"Good. I'm so glad Dr. Kim released you."

"I think he was glad to get rid of me."

"Nah. He loves having someone to fuss over. It's really good to see you up and around and on your feet again.

"It feels good to be out and around." Then after a few steps he added, "Everyone here says you're a hero."

"I'm not a hero, Walter. You should know that better than anyone else."

"In these people's eyes you are. Some think you're a hero, some think you're Jesus. It's amazing how far off some people's judgment can be."

"Walter, the past is dead and gone. Could we please just put it behind us and move on?"

"If everything here is as it seems to be, then yes we can. But I'm keeping my eye on things."

Krycek gave a disappointed little nod of his head and left.

Skinner saw the look and instantly regretted his words. He went inside to his bunk and lay awake for a long while thinking. To these people, Krycek **was** a hero. He got them off that plane, brought them here to safety and has been seeing to their needs for two years now.

As much as he had hated Krycek in the past, he had to admit that this was a different Krycek than he had known. This one cared about people, worried about them, risked his life to rescue them. This one held a little girls hand and laughed out loud at a crazy old man. This Krycek had rescued him, saved his life. This Krycek … this Krycek he liked.

He made a mental note to apologize to him in the morning.

The next morning he awoke to the sounds of people stirring. He got up and headed for the cafeteria for some coffee. It was hot and steaming, just the way he liked it. He took his cup and wandered outside. He was looking for Krycek. He wanted to apologize.

He saw him sitting with the Englishman talking and drinking their coffee and headed over towards them. He caught the last bit of the conversation as he neared.

"You should tell him how you feel about him," the Englishman was saying. "I can't see that he'd be anything but flattered."

Krycek caught sight of him and looked visibly shaken for a second then called out to him, "Good morning, Walter. Did you sleep well?"

"I did, thank you." He took an empty chair and sat down.

The Englishman greeted him then said he had something to do and left the two of them alone.

Skinner cleared his throat and spoke, "I wanted to thank you for taking me along yesterday."

"Well I never would have if I had known all the excitement we were going to run into. Sometimes we go weeks and no one shows up and then like yesterday, we get a bunch in one day."

"It was exciting and I'm glad I went." They were silent for a few moments. "Actually, I wanted to apologize for the comments I made last night. They were out of line. You saved all these people, you saved my life, you've been nothing but kind to me. You even saved Harry. If that's not being a hero, I don't know what is." He grinned.

Krycek chuckled. "You have no idea how close I came to just taking off and leaving them all in the woods that day. I don't know why I didn't. My first instinct was to run. But there was just something … I don't know what, but something wouldn't let me leave them. They needed me. Maybe that was it. No one has ever really needed me before."

"Well these people do and their loyalty is well placed. You've brought them all through this nightmare and you've created this wonderful little community for them and they are not just getting by, they are thriving."

"Now wait a minute here. I didn't do all this by myself. They did most of the work."

"Yes, but you planned it; you set everything in motion and you kept after them until they got it all going. I've been talking to a lot of people and they all say the same thing. If it wasn't for you, they'd all be dead or in internment camps."

"It all just happened, Walter." Krycek said and they sat in silence for a while until he was called to help out with the planning of the next building.

Skinner spent the rest of the day watching the activities of the little community.

CHAPTER EIGHT

Walter stood looking out the front window of his barracks as darkness fell. Dinner was over with and it was getting too cold to hang around outside. Some of the men were playing cards; a few were at the chess board, others in the back talking. Some had already taken to their bunks. He saw Krycek walking towards the river and cross over the bridge. He could barely make out his outline but he was sitting on some boulders on the opposite side of the river – just sitting there. He had seen him do this many times before and always wondered why. Tonight he decided he'd go and ask him.

He put on his coat and knit cap that the women had knitted for everybody and went out. The night was crisp and clear, somewhere in the thirties, he'd guess. He could see his breath in front of him and Alex's as well as he neared him.

"What are you doing out here?" Alex asked. "Is everything all right?"

"Uh huh." Walter said as he took a seat on a boulder slightly below the one Alex was sitting on. "I've seen you come out here alone before. Curiosity got the better of me and I decided to come out and ask this time."

"Oh. I like to come out here and think. I like to sit here and look back across the river at all we've accomplished in two and a half years. It's amazing, considering there was absolutely nothing when we got here."

"You've done a lot." Walter agreed, looking back at the lights of their little community. "More than anyone would have believed possible."

"I never imagined we could accomplish so much. I never imagined we'd have electricity or indoor plumbing. When we first got here it was two flat rocks placed over a hole out in the woods. And believe it or not, no one complained."

"They didn't? Not even Harry?" Walter asked with a chuckle.

"Oh Harry did all right. We made him do the digging."

"How did you get him to do that? I'm shocked."

"We gave him a choice. He could bicycle into town with the rest of us for supplies or he could dig the latrines."

Walter laughed. "I'll bet he complained long and loud."

"He probably did but most of the rest of us were gone and didn't have to listen to it."

"You know, he's not half bad to talk to. He has lots of interesting stories to tell, being a Taxi driver in NYC." Walter said.

"He's not a bad guy. In fact, I like him a lot. He's just never had to do anything in his life before except drive a cab. He's friendly, he's interesting and he gets along well with the others. And he's gotten much better these last few years. He helps unload every time we go in for supplies and he still brings in firewood. You know, that's amazing. In the beginning, he was afraid of the woods. Now he takes pride in the fact that he's been all through them gathering wood in that old supermarket shopping cart we brought in for him to use."

"He plays a good game of cards too," Walter added. "And he's a good sport if he looses. He doesn't seem to really care just as long as he gets to play."

They were silent for a while then Alex spoke. "I've been thinking, maybe we need to make another run into town."

"I thought you said we had plenty of everything. The store room is full as well as the freezers."

"I haven't got it all worked out yet, but this is what I've been thinking." Alex turned and faced Walter as he spoke. "The first Christmas we were here, we were all happy to just be inside a building and out of the cold. We had no children here at all and just kind of let it pass. Oh we sang a few Christmas Carols but that was about it. Last Christmas, we only had a few little girls and the women made them some rag dolls and stuff. This Christmas we have nineteen children here. I want to do something special for them."

"What do you have in mind, toys?" Walter asked and tucked his hands in his jacket pockets against the cold.

"Well, that was my first thought. I thought I'd just take one truck in and pile it full of toys. The more I got to thinking about it, the more the plan snowballed. If we took two trucks, we could load up on some sports equipment for the older kids. Maybe some foot ball and baseball gear. You know there are plenty of nice flat open areas over here on this side of the river. We could even put in a basketball court."

"That would be great! Even the men would love that, most of them anyway."

"And the women too, probably; at least some of them." Alex was getting excited about his idea as he told it. "And if we took the third truck with us, we could bring back some exercise equipment. After sitting around all winter, it's always hard to get started again in the spring."

"That all sounds great but where would you put all the stuff so no one would see it?"

"I figured the mine. We could unload the stuff there and leave it until Christmas Eve."

"That's a good idea. Were you planning on doing this without anyone knowing about it? I could drive one of the trucks but how would you get them out of the valley without anyone else hearing?"

"With all that loading and unloading, we're going to need some bodies. I figured three trucks, three two-man teams. That's six of us. With the trucks now being garaged in the mechanic's hut on this side of the river, they're out of sight so no one will notice they're gone."

"They'll hear them though when they start up and pull out." Walter warned.

"Not if we do it during meal time. There is always so much commotion going on in the cafeteria at meal time, not many will be paying any attention. I'm thinking we'll pick our team from the soldiers. They have stayed in the best physical shape with all their calisthenics every morning and they all know how to work the doors to the tunnel. We could sneak the trucks out during the evening meal and the next morning a few of us could slip out at a time. I figured we'd get back in the same way. Do you think that would work?"

"Sounds good." Walter agreed. "It just might work. What about taking along a woman or two with us? Could we manage that without arousing too much suspicion? It would be great to have them along and they could come up with ideas for gifts for the women. Stuff we'd never think of."

"There would be room in the trucks for them. I don't know why we couldn't slip a few out. I'm thinking we'd only be gone for the morning. We'd leave right after breakfast, an hour there, take maybe two hours there to load up and an hour back. We'd be back in plenty of time for lunch. We could leave the trucks in the mine and unload them after dark."

"Then get them back to the garage during the next dinner. I like it. I think it will work." Walter said.

"I'll speak with Peterson tomorrow and let him pick the teams. I think the women should be Marcia and Maddie. I'll get with them tomorrow too." Alex said as he hopped down from the boulder and brushed his jeans off.

Walter stood up and did the same. "You really care about all these people, don't you?"

"I do! They've become … I don't know, the family that I never had I guess. I don't know how we got so lucky but everyone here seems to like everyone else and is more than willing to do their fair share of the work. I actually expected more fights, squabbles among them but if there have been any, I haven't heard about it."

"They're a good group. And every time someone new comes in, they seem to blend right in with no trouble at all." Walter said then added, "You've really done a good thing here, Alex. I'm proud that you asked me to be a part of it."

"I couldn't stand the thought of you being locked up like some common criminal, Walter. I just couldn't stand it. Within an hour of finding your name on that list, I was on my motorcycle and out of here."

"I want you to know I appreciate it; I appreciate you and all that you've done for me as well as all these people."

Alex stared at him for a few moments then said, "You don't hate me any more then?"

"I didn't hate you, Alex; I hated all the things that you were doing." Walter said then caught himself. "That's a lie. Yes, I hated you. I hated you more than I hated anyone I ever knew. And what I hated most was that you left the Bureau to join up with the likes of Cancer man."

"I was young and naïve and stupid, Walter. He fed me a line about saving the world and I fell for it hook, line and sinker. By the time I realized what the hell was going on, I was in too deep to get out. I hated everybody then. I hated Spender for getting me into this mess, I hated the Bureau for letting that son of a bitch roam freely around the Hoover. Shit, Walter, I thought he had some position there, I saw him there so often. I hated you most of all because you never even noticed me, if you did, you looked right through me."

"There's enough blame to go around, Alex. I guess we all let each other down. We all had our reasons. I did notice you though and that was a problem in itself and the reason I tried to stay as far away from you as possible."

"What do you mean?"

"You were exactly what I wanted and what I knew I couldn't have. I was still married when you came on board. You were forbidden fruit to me."

Alex stared at him unable to speak for a moment. "I didn't know, God, I wish I had known!"

"It wouldn't have changed anything. The Bureau rules were there was to be no intimate relationships between supervisors and those below them."

"Fuck the rules!" Alex said.

"I agree. We can say that now while we're here and there are no rules to follow. But at the time …"

That was all he got out. Alex was in his arms then and warm lips were pressing against his. He pulled Alex in closer and kissed back, his hands holding onto either side of Alex's head, finger tips caressing cold ears though neither of them felt the cold at that moment.

Just then the night was pierced by a loud scream coming from the women's barracks. They broke apart and ran across the bridge and over to where the crowd had assembled and were coming back out the door laughing.

"What is it? What happened?" Alex asked.

"It's Keesha. She lost a tooth." They all left, shaking their heads as they headed back to their barracks. Walter and Alex went on inside and found Keesha being held and rocked gently by her momma while the other women gathered around and tried to convince the weeping child that another tooth would soon replace the one she lost.

"Jesus! Jesus!" Keesha ran to Alex and flung herself into his arms. "My teeth are coming out; I won't be able to eat any more!"

"Oh, honey." He picked her up and wiped her tears with his finger tips. "I remember feeling the same way when I started loosing my teeth."

"You lost all your teeth too?" She asked in amazement.

"Sweetheart, they don't all come out at once. Just one or two at a time and they grow back in bigger and better and stronger than ever. I promise you, you will be able to eat everything that you do now."

"That's what momma said. Are you sure?" She sniffled.

"Positive. It's all a part of growing up. It happens to everyone." Alex assured her and handed her back over to her mother. "And my name is Alex; not Jesus!"

The little girl giggled and snuggled back into her mothers comforting arms.

The two of them walked back towards the men's barracks and stopped in front of Walter's. "I'm glad you came out tonight and talked with me. I've been hoping that you would." Alex said.

"I wish I'd known that, I'd have come out sooner." Walter said as he stood there with both hands jammed down inside his jacket pockets.

"You know it now. Will you come out with me again tomorrow?" When he didn't get an immediate answer he added, "We need to discuss our plans for our Christmas run."

"I'll come out." Walter said.

"Good, I'll see you tomorrow then and we'll talk more." Alex said and reached out and squeezed Walter's arm and walked on to his barracks.

Walter went inside and got ready for sleep. He lay in his bunk a good long while thinking about things. He liked the idea of the Christmas surprise and felt like they could pull it off easily enough. There was enough activity going on all the time that he thought no one would notice if a half dozen people or so, left for a few hours. Lastly he thought about the kiss. His tongue ran around his lips and he thought he could still taste Alex. He went to sleep a happy man.

The next morning was a buzz of activity. They all heard the gun shots but knew they came from within the woods. They hoped the farmers had managed to snag one of the elk they had seen signs of. Thanksgiving was two days away and now they would have some fresh meat for the meal. Several people were pacing around at the edge of the woods, hoping for good news. Soon the men came out of the woods and they did a little victory dance in celebration. Half a dozen men went back in with them to carve the meat while the women hurried to the kitchen in search of cook books and recipes. The planning for Thanksgiving dinner had begun in earnest.

After dinner that night, Walter stood by the window and waited until he saw Alex pass by and head for the bridge. He waited until Alex was on the other side of the river before he put his jacket on and headed out. A light snow had started to fall but the moon was still bright and visibility was good as he joined Alex across the river.

"I talked with Peterson and Marcia and they are both excited about the idea. I also spoke with the three mechanics. They're all for it." Alex said.

"Good. I figured they would be." Walter said as he sat down beside Alex.

"I think we need to put the plan in action tomorrow. Move the trucks into the mine tomorrow at dinner time, and leave the next morning. Are you Ok with that?"

"Sounds good to me. Did you get a lot of snow here last winter?"

"We did; about five or six feet deep over at the camp site. On this side, it was a lot deeper.

"It's good we're going now then before it starts piling up." Walter said.

"It is."

"It'll be a chore carrying everything over there without using the trucks."

"I figured we'd hitch the horses up to the old wagons and have them haul stuff over. That should be quiet enough. We'll have to wait until everyone else is asleep then we can haul it all over and get it set up in the cafeteria." Alex said.

"I think this is going to work out great. I can't see any flaw in the plan." Walter said.

"I hope so." Alex said. "I want to make this a Christmas they'll always remember."

"I'm sure they will. I know I will." Walter reached for him then and Alex came into his arms. They stayed like that for only a few moments before heading back to the warmth of their barracks.

The next evening went like clockwork. Alex and Walter had dinner with the others as usual so no one would suspect anything. The mechanics took the trucks and parked them in the mine then hurried on in to dinner. People were accustomed to seeing them come in late as they were usually working on the trucks and didn't want to quit until they were finished.

The next morning, one or two at a time, they walked across the bridge. They slipped into the mine and when they were all there, they left for town. It was bitterly cold and a light snow was falling but with all the activity in camp preparing for the Thanksgiving dinner, or just staying in out of the cold, no one was missed.

The drive went well as the ground was frozen in most places and easier to drive on than when it was moist and soft. They made it into town and went right to Sears. They parked around back at the loading dock and began their loading. One team went for the exercise equipment as it was the heaviest and some was put in each of the trucks. Then they hit the sports section. Portable basketball backboards were loaded in and boxes and boxes of bats, balls, gloves, nets and rackets for tennis and badminton, every sports items they could find. Then they loaded the trucks the rest of the way with toys.

The women were thrilled to death at the shopping spree and had spent the day before making lists of everything they wanted to get. Huge bags of items were carried out and stuffed into the trucks.

"Uh oh. Here's something we need." Walter said as they were carrying a load out through the warehouse.

"What?" Alex said and came over to where Walter was standing and looking at a huge box taller than he was.

"A pool table. What do you think? Will the trailer carry it or is it too heavy?"

"Well it comes in five boxes. The slate is in four separate boxes and the rest of the table in the other. Let's get Peterson in here and see what he thinks."

"See what Peterson thinks about what?" Peterson said walking up to them.

"A pool table. Heavier than hell but we still have some room in the trailers. You think they would hold it?"

"You haven't seen the trailers after the women came out with their load and they went back in. They're not finished yet."

"Isn't most of their stuff in bags?" Alex asked.

"Uh huh," Peterson answered.

"Well, let's see if we can just cram them in with the other stuff." Alex suggested.

It took them an extra hour of unloading and reloading but they managed to get it all in and headed out. Everyone excited about their little secret.

Alex and Walter had their own private secret as well. They met every night, either in the woods or across the river; sometimes in the garage, sometimes in the stables. They varied their meeting locations. They never stayed very long, it was too cold but what time they were alone together, they made good use of. They wasted not a minute.

Their first time together was in the stables in the hay. Half frozen hands caressed heated bodies while their lips scattered kisses where ever a bit of skin was available. They rolled in the hay until their passion waned and then they lay in each other's arms for a time.

They never talked about the old times, it was as though they had just met and fallen for each other. Walter was shocked that at the age of fifty five, he could be so totally carried away by this new-born relationship and Alex had never really had time for relationships before so loving someone and being loved in return was all new to him. Together their happiness soared.

They thought their relationship was a private thing that no one knew about but every one in camp either knew about it or suspected it. There was no teasing though, no nasty comments. They respected Alex and his choice of mates too much. Everyone simply just let them be.

Thanksgiving dinner was a huge success with roasted Elk and vegetables from their own fields. There was fresh baked bread and several different kinds of pie.

One of the women led them in a Thanksgiving prayer of thanks and each person in turn said a few words of thanks. Most were of thanks for their survival, thanks for getting them out of the camps, thanks for finding friends and family. The kids were saying thanks for the pies and cookies they saw waiting on the desert table. The families were giving thanks for being together when so many were less fortunate. Alex gave thanks for finding new friends as well as old. Walter gave thanks for his survival and the expertise of the good doctor Kim who had managed to save his leg and restore his health. Bernie gave thanks for his new set of teeth the dentist had made for him and the new strings for his banjo. Lauren gave thanks for finding friends and a home for herself and her girls where she never expected to. Even Harry had some nice words to say. Everyone was moved by the mini speeches but was just as glad when they were all over with so they could dive into the food. They all had so much to be thankful for – they were alive, they were among friends, and they weren't in a camp somewhere starving and freezing half to death. It was a day none of them would ever forget.

And Christmas was every bit as wonderful and unforgettable. Those who were in on the surprise had scurried back and forth into the mine and managed to gift wrap and tag all the gifts and on Christmas Eve, they loaded everything up in the wagons and snuck it all over into the cafeteria. The room was stacked with gaily wrapped presents everywhere, around and under the huge Christmas tree they had set up and decorated in one corner.

They had promised everyone a Christmas morning surprise and warned that the cafeteria wouldn't be opened until they all showed up at once. By 7am they were all huddled at the front door waiting for Alex to unlock it and let everyone in. First all the colored lights came on, then they heard the music. Christmas carols filled the air as the doors were opened and every one flooded in.

The children screamed and screamed and jumped around, the women were all crying and even a few of the men were wiping tears away as inconspicuously as they could. Santa (Skinner) greeted everyone with a great big "Ho, ho, ho and a Merry Christmas to you all!" He sat in a chair that had been specially decorated for him and began handing out gifts to the children, who were beside themselves with excitement.

The day was everything and more than Alex had dreamed it would be – a cherished memory that he would carry with him always. Walter made sure of that later when they slipped out to the stables for some private time while everyone was celebrating. They had their own little celebration.

Walter had snuck blankets and candles out and even a small battery powered heater. He strung some left over Christmas decorations around one of the empty stalls and spread some hay out. The blanket tossed across it made a perfect bed. He made Alex wait until he slipped inside the stall, turned the heater on and lit the candles then called him in.

Alex was stunned. Never had anyone ever done anything like this for him before. So as the horses nickered in stalls across the way, with the smell of hay in their nostrils, and the sounds of celebration from across the river, they spent their first Christmas night together wrapped in one another's arms.

CHAPTER NINE

Walter was sitting in the kitchen peeling potatoes when he heard Alex bellow his name.

"WALTER! WALTER!" He came running through the cafeteria and into the kitchen with a bunch of papers in his hand. He held them up high and yelled, "MULDER!"

Walter dropped the potato he was peeling, the peeler, tipped his chair over and ran to him.

"You found him? Where is he?"

"Massachusetts." He handed Walter the new list the Special Ops runner had just brought in. "Didn't his folks have a home up there?"

"They did." Walter agreed as he scanned for the name. Alex pointed the name out and Walter read, "Mouse Mulder, age 47, occupation, talent scout for a whore house."

"It's him. It's got to be him." Alex was breathless with excitement.

"Mouse Mulder?" Walter questioned.

"Fox – mouse – they're both animals. He was probably feeling like a mouse in a trap and tossed his I.D. just like you did. The age is correct. And look at that occupation."

"That's something every high school boy has said at one time or other. It doesn't mean anything." Walter was doubtful.

"Well he wasn't in high school when he said it to me. We talked once back when we were working together, about what we would be if we weren't agents. That's what he said he wanted to be. A talent scout for a whorehouse. And he said it again at different times at least three or four times."

"It's a long shot."

"Look, the name is Mulder, the age is right, the area is right. Have you ever heard a kid being named 'mouse' and that occupation thing? It's him. I know it is."

"I've never even known another Mulder besides him and his family." Walter rubbed the back of his neck and felt the old tension coming back. "When do we leave?"

"First thing in the morning. It's too late to start out now." He turned to leave then added, "Pack warm. It's snowing again."

The next morning before dawn they sat in the kitchen sipping coffee and debating the pros and cons of motorcycles or a truck. Both had their advantages and disadvantages. It was finally decided on motorcycles. Back east the camps were much closer together which meant more traffic around. The more traffic around the easier it would be for them to get caught. The motorcycles afforded them easier access to difficult places and a speedier get away if spotted.

Their long-johns, leather pants and jackets and helmets protected them from the icy blast of cold but the trek cross country was still miserable. The first night they spent in an old Texaco gas station and found the stash of food that was left there for them. They huddled side by side on the cold floor and got little sleep that night. The second night they stayed in a farm house somewhere in Pennsylvania. It was snowing so hard nothing could be seen so they decided to risk a fire, doubting the smoke could be seen. They brought their motorcycles inside with them as they had always done with their bikes.

The third morning at dawn they were lying on the rooftop of the old motor pool building of the internment camp and scanning the grounds for any signs of life in the fenced in area. They could hear sounds and smell something cooking. "That smells like the usual slop they serve." Walter said. I don't know where they get it or what's in it but it's vile." Soon the barracks doors opened and the prisoners marched over to the mess hall, their breaths puffing clouds of vapor.

"Can you see him?" Walter asked.

"No. I'm going to have to go down there."

"No, it's too dangerous. We're not even sure it's him yet." Walter stopped him with a hand on Alex's arm.

"I'm sure. And you will be too when I bring him out."

"What if you're seen?"

"Then you'll have to bring us both out." He edged back over to the back side of the building. "The snow is in our favor now. They have to walk right passed this building to get back to the barracks. When they do, I'll just step out and join them. I doubt they're doing head counts."

"And then?" Walter asked, nervous as a cat and wishing he could come up with some other idea.

"I go inside with them and start looking. Once I have him I'll signal you from the front window there. That one guard tower looks right into the barracks so I might need a diversion of some kind to get him out of there. Once I get him over to this side we can make it to the back fence the same way we got in here – building by building. Let's just hope the snow keeps up. At least until we get him out of there. Can you come up with a diversion of some kind?"

"Yeah. I'll think of something." Walter assured him.

Walter watched from above as Alex shinnied down the drainpipe and waited against the back of the building until mealtime was over with. They had heard enough times from others who were in camps that prisoners were given exactly fifteen minutes to eat/drink the mixture they were being fed. Alex's teeth were beginning to chatter when the doors of the mess hall opened and they began to file out and march back to the barracks. He stepped out at the end of the line and ambled along like the rest of the group.

The door was closed and locked behind them and the guard walked off to the front of the facility and inside another building.

Inside the men were each going to their bunks; a few were bitching about the slop they were just fed. Most of them just pulled their blanket closer around them and tried to sleep.

Alex walked slowly among them, searching each face. Suddenly there he was, standing right in front of him. Mulder, wrapped with the blanket up over his head, shrugged passed him and headed for the barrel in the front of the room set in one corner for bathroom purposes and threw up in it. He coughed and gagged and Alex watched. None of the others took any notice.

He made his way up behind Mulder and whispered to him, "Mulder, it's me, Krycek. Skinner's outside. We've come to get you out of here."

Mulder looked up slowly, wiping the corner of his mouth on his blanket. Recognition lit his eyes and he cast a quick glance around the room to see if anyone noticed the stranger among them. None seem to have.

"There's no way out of this place."

"Yes there is. I have a map and we have a couple of motorcycles hidden." Alex assured him.

"Where would we go? All the roads are watched.

"We have a place, a safe place with plenty of food and water and heat."

"There's no place left like that on earth." Mulder said and turned back to the reeking barrel and heaved again.

"Skinner is waiting for us. He's outside in the snow. We brought warm clothes for you. Long johns, leather pants and jacket. We've got food and water. Come on. Let's get out of this stinking place."

"Skinner's out there? Why didn't he come in then? I would have believed him."

"Skinner broke his leg last year. He had to have surgery on it. He gets around fine now but he's still not as strong as he was."

"Is Scully out there too?"

"No. We haven't found her yet but we're still looking. We have people out all over the country bringing back lists from these camps. If they have her, we'll find her."

"Why should I believe you?" He reached up with both hands and dug at Alex's forehead to see if the face was a false one.

"I'm not one of them, Mulder. I promise you that. You know how I knew that 'Mouse Mulder' was you? – When I read your occupation – 'talent scout for a whorehouse'. Remember we sat in your apartment eating pizza and talked about what we'd like to do if we weren't agents."

Mulder stared at him for a long time then said, "The door is locked, the windows are nailed tight. How do you propose to get out of here?"

"With this?" Alex held up his trusty pick he had taken out of his wallet and had at the ready when he saw it was a simple door lock that held them.

"What about the guard tower?"

"I'm supposed to signal Skinner when I have you and he is going to create a diversion of some kind. When that happens we walk out of here."

Mulder stared at him. "Go ahead. Signal. Let's just see if you can pull this little miracle off."

Alex went to the window and first had to wipe the frost from the pane then waved at Skinner.

Skinner across the way saw the signal and made his way over to the electrical box on the side of the main building. He had to pry the door open with his knife but once it was open, he threw the main switch and the entire complex went dark. He hurried back to his place behind the motor pool building and waited less than a minute before Mulder and Alex appeared around the corner.

Skinner embraced the half-frozen Mulder and Alex busied himself pulling a leather jacket out of his pack. Skinner opened his and came out with some leather pants. They got Mulder dressed and they started their way to the back of the complex. They got two buildings back when the lights came back on.

"Shit!" Mulder moaned. "They'll burn us."

"No. They won't come back this far. We watched this place for hours and not a soul came back here. Alex assured him.

"They can't see our foot prints, it's snowing too hard." Skinner added.

"Maybe we could run for it? How far are your motorcycles?" Mulder asked.

"Not all that far but we have to get through that fence first and across a couple of fields to get to them."

Mulder doubled over and threw up again.

"How long you been throwing up?" Skinner asked.

"Forever." Mulder answered weakly.

"Come on. Let's go before he gets any sicker." Alex said and he and Walter both took one of Mulder's arms and ran him the rest of the way to the fence.

They waited while Alex twisted the wires to his connections, shutting off the power to the small area where the fence had been cut. Walter slipped through first then he pulled while Alex pushed Mulder through. Alex crawled through then secured the opening again, removed his clips allowing the power to surge through.

They hauled Mulder to his feet and they ran. Mulder made it through the first field then collapsed. Walter picked him up, slung him over his shoulder and they took off again.

"Are you going to be able to hold on?" Walter asked as he climbed on his motorcycle.

Alex helped Mulder climb on behind Walter then pulled out his duct tape. He wound it round and round Mulder and Skinner while Mulder weakly protested, "I can hold on. Let's just get going."

Alex took the time to tape Mulder's legs to the bike too to keep them safe. What he hadn't told Mulder was that their first stop was at least an hour's ride in the freezing snow.

They started their motors and off they went into the fields beyond, far away from the camp and any highways. Mulder was able to hold on for a while but soon one hand slipped free and then the other. Skinner checked to make sure the tape was secure and kept on going.

By the time they reached the deserted farm house, Mulder was unconscious. They rolled their bikes into the house. Alex sliced through the tape holding Mulder and Skinner carried him over to the couch. They covered him with blankets and while Walter started a fire in the fire place, Alex heated some soup using a small camp stove that had been hidden there for them to use.

"What do you think is wrong with him?" Skinner asked as they tried to feed Mulder some of the warm soup.

"I don't know. It could just be a reaction to whatever they put in that stuff they're being fed. Did it make you sick when you had it?"

"No. It was vile but I never threw it up. A few others did though from time to time."

"It could be anything. We've got to get him warm and get some of this in him."

Walter helped and between the two of them they managed to get a few swallows down Mulder. They both massaged his arms and legs and tried to get some warmth back into him. Another few swallows and he seemed to revive a bit.

"What's that?" Mulder mumbled.

"It's soup, Mulder, drink!" Walter ordered.

Mulder seemed to hear and he drank. Before long the fire was blazing and the room was warming up a bit but still he shivered. Walter went into a back room and pulled a mattress off a bed and dragged it over in front of the fire. They got Mulder down on it and both of them lay down beside him on either side, their feet towards the fire. They covered with blankets and got up from time to time to add more fire wood but mostly they slept; each with an arm around Mulder holding him close; warming him.

Walter woke up first. The fire had gone out and the room was cold again. He piled on more wood then set about making some coffee. Mulder and Alex both stirred at the first scent of the delicious aroma.

"Did you get any sleep?" Alex asked as he accepted the steaming cup from Walter.

"Yeah some, once I got warmed up. Mulder, how are you doing?" He asked as he handed him a cup.

"Coffee? I didn't know there was any left in the world!" He sipped carefully. "I'm fine. Where are we?" He was leaning against the hearth, still very weak.

"Still in Massachusetts but out in the countryside, away from any cities or patrols."

"What are we waiting for? Let's get back on the road." Mulder suggested.

"We're not going any where in this weather. We won't be able to see anything to follow our map." Walter said.

Alex and Mulder went to the window and saw the storm was still raging outside. Mulder sighed and went back to the fire.

"Is that oat meal?" Alex asked as Walter stood stirring several packets of oats into some boiling water.

"Uh huh. As long as we have to stay put for a while, we may as well eat something besides those energy bars and trail mix."

"Sounds good to me. How about it Mulder. Think you could handle some oatmeal?"

"You really have food?" Mulder turned away from the fire.

"We do." Walter answered. "It'll be ready in a few minutes."

"So you just happened to know where this place was and that it would have coffee and oat meal?" Mulder glared at Alex. "What makes you think this place is safer than any other. They'll find us. They find everybody."

"This is not the safe place I was telling you about. This is just a stop along the way."

"Along the way to where?" Mulder asked.

"To Colorado." Alex answered.

"What's in Colorado?"

"Home." Walter answered as he handed him a warm bowl of oatmeal.

Mulder smelled it first, suspiciously, and then took a tiny bite. Satisfied that it was the real thing, he finished the bowl off in less than a minute.

They stayed in the house all that day, the three of them on the mattress in front of the fire as the temperatures dipped dangerously low during the night. By morning, the storm had passed. They ate another good breakfast of oatmeal and coffee and got ready to leave.

"We should take the rest of that food with us. No telling when we'll be able to find more." Mulder said.

"No. We have food in our packs and there will be other stops along the way." Alex said.

"It might be gone. Someone might have found it. We need to take what's left."

"No." Walter backed Alex up. "We leave it for the next team that comes through here. We have enough to make it to our next stop."

Mulder looked at them both like they were crazy. "And what if it's all gone when we get to the next stop? Have you thought of that?"

"Mulder, this is all planned out. There is food placed for us in secret locations all along the way. Just like this was." Walter tucked the little camp stove back in its box and returned it to its hiding place in the wall behind some books on a shelf.

"It could all be a trick to lure us out into the open?"

"Why would they do that? I doubt they even know you're gone. They seldom do any head counts from what we're told. If they wanted to kill you, they would have. And they have no way of knowing we are even here." Walter said.

"All this … just doesn't feel right to me. I don't trust him," he said nodding to Alex, "and I'm shocked that you do." He said to Skinner.

Alex just shook his head and put his helmet on, strapping it snug.

"A lot of things have changed, Mulder." Walter said.

"Yeah, and a lot of things have stayed the same. Have you ever thought that he might be in it with them? You know you can't trust him."

"He gave me the same story about this safe place with plenty of food and water and I doubted it too. But he took me there. He got me out of a camp just like the one you were in. My leg was broken and I had pneumonia. He saved my life. It's a beautiful place, Mulder, and you will be safe there."

"I don't want to go to Colorado. I want to go home. Can you take me back there -- to my Dad's place on the Vinyard?"

"No. It's not safe." Alex said.

"He's right, Mulder. It's not safe. Come on. We got a couple of days hard riding ahead of us." Walter said.

"And if I don't want to go to this place of yours?"

"Then you're free to go where ever you choose and next time we see your name on a list of prisoners, we'll just pass you by and take someone who wants to live free." Alex said and started up his motor cycle.

"You trust him?" Mulder asked.

"I do." Walter said and handed Mulder a helmet and strapped one on himself.

Mulder put the helmet on reluctantly and climbed on behind Walter.

"Are you sure you can hold on? If you get to feeling the least bit weak or faint, let me know and I'll stop."

"I'm fine. Let's just get to this place of yours."

They followed the map back, cross country, never going near a road of any kind. There were some rough spots but not too many. The father south they got the warmer it became and by their evening stop they were no longer in temperatures below zero. They spent that evening in the basement of a house that had been burned out. They kicked aside some of the burned embers and found the door leading down.

Alex had his flash light on and scanned the tiny room. It was a storm cellar and looked as though no one had been in there in years but when they tried the spot that was marked on their map, the shelf unit swung forward exposing another room behind. They went inside and pulled the shelf closed behind them.

Walter lit the battery operated lamp and the tiny room proved to be a treasure to them. There were sleeping bags, cases and cases of food, water, and gasoline in five gallon cans and a small battery operated micro-wave oven.

"Whew! They out did themselves with this place!" Alex whistled. "I'll have to remember to thank them next time I see them."

"If you have friends around here that did this, they are probably in a camp somewhere by now."

Walter and Alex exchanged exasperated glances.

"What would you like for dinner? Pick something. There's plastic bowls, spoons, and everything." Walter said.

"Any pizza?" Mulder asked scanning the labels on the boxes.

"Don't see any. How about some pasta?" Alex held up a can of Chef Boy-R-Dee spaghetti.

"That'll do." Mulder answered and caught the can as it was tossed.

Walter produced a can opener and opened the can for him and dumped the pasta into a bowl and put it in the microwave. They ate their food in silence then opened out their sleeping bags and crawled inside. Walter and Alex both bringing their bags up next to Mulder's much to his protest.

"Is this really necessary?" He complained.

"You need the body warmth, Mulder." Walter insisted before turning the lamp off.

Mulder moved over as close to Walter as he could get but Alex just moved over next to him. Mulder whispered to Walter, "I'm OK with being next to you but I don't trust him."

"Relax, Mulder. Do what you're told for the next few days and we'll get you to our safe place. It's really wonderful and it's safe."

"And there's food and water there? A lot of it?"

"More than enough. Get some sleep now."

The next night they spent in the back of an old feed store in a tiny little no-name town in Missouri. Their fourth day took them into Colorado and the last leg of the trip.

"So we're into Colorado now. Where's this Shangri-la you've been talking about?" Mulder asked as they stopped for lunch.

"We've still got a ways to go yet but we should get there just before dark." Alex said.

"It's there, Mulder. I've been living there the last year." Walter assured him.

"I'll believe it when I see it." Mulder said.

"If you don't like it, you can always leave." Alex offered. "I'll see to it that you have a motorcycle, food and water. You can go any where you want to then."

"Good. Because I'm going to go find Scully."

"Mulder it's been almost three years now. Have you seen or heard anything at all from her?"

"How could I? All communications are down. She's out there somewhere and I'm going to find her."

"We've been watching all the lists and her name hasn't shown up yet." Alex said. "If and when it does, we'll go get her."

"So what's this place like? How big is it? You said there are others there; how many? Who runs the place and who makes the rules?" Mulder asked.

"I don't know exactly how big it is, Mulder. Several thousand acres, I'd guess. We are a little over two hundred people now and so far, we haven't had to make any rules. Everyone is just so happy to be free and safe from the aliens that they all pitch in and do whatever needs to be done."

"Who runs it?"

"We all do. We discuss what needs to be done and we find a way to do it. It's pretty basic really."

"And it's been there three years and you think the aliens don't know about it? You're kidding yourselves if you think you're safe. There's no place safe -- no place!"

"It wasn't there three years ago when they came. We've built it ourselves. It's in a hidden valley surrounded by mountains. We blew up the only entrance to the valley and made a secret entrance through an old mine shaft."

"And you don't think they could follow the trail there?"

"They haven't in three years." Alex finished the conversation by donning his helmet and sitting on his motorcycle, ready to leave.

"They could find it if they looked," Mulder insisted.

"Do you have a better suggestion, Mulder? Some place else where we could all go and be safe? If you have, I'd like to hear about it."

Mulder said nothing and climbed on the motorcycle behind Walter.

The sun had gone down and it was getting colder the higher they got up into the hills. Soon they had slowed and were walking their motorcycles.

"Why are we stopping? It's almost dark. We should keep on going." Mulder said.

"We're here." Walter replied.

"Here? In this pile of rocks?"

"Uh huh." Walter smiled as Alex got off his bike and pulled the brush back that was hiding the doorway to the mine. Walter drove on inside and waited while Alex concealed the opening and joined them. Minutes later they emerged into the valley.

They stopped for a moment to gaze out over the valley at dusk. It was a beautiful sight. The tall craggy mountains surrounded the valley like sentinels guarding their flock, the lower hills covered with majestic pine trees, the village lit up like a scattering of jewels along the far side of a picturesque river and great flat fields directly in front of them.

"I did a puzzle like this once." Mulder said.

Alex secured the inner doorway and they followed the path down the small rise, along side the snow covered fields, across the log bridge and they were met by a crowd of people all calling out their welcome to Mulder and welcome back to Alex and Walter. Mulder was dumbstruck.

"Just in time for dinner!" someone yelled and at that exact moment Walter's stomach growled.

"So what will it be first, Mulder, dinner, a hot shower, a bed with clean sheets, blankets, and a pillow?" Mulder didn't answer. They climbed down from their bikes and stretched. Someone took the bikes for them and the three of them entered the cafeteria.

A steaming hot tray of food was placed in front of each of them and they ate voraciously and sipped at hot coffee.

"How's your food, Mulder?" Alex asked.

"Human," he answered.

After dinner, Dr. Kim checked him over and declared that he was well enough except that he was drastically underweight. Walter took him over to the barracks and got him a bunk while Alex went over to the supply hut and picked up some clothes for him. He was then shown the showers that had been newly installed at the back of each barracks building and left him to clean up.

Walter and Alex stood around talking with others about their trip and waited for Mulder to finish. When he didn't come out, they checked on him and found him sound asleep in his assigned bunk. They decided to call it a night then and each went to his barracks.

CHAPTER TEN

The next evening they walked off into the woods together. Once out of site of the camp, Mulder stopped and turned to Walter. "I thought everyone was dead; everyone that I knew and loved." His voice quivered with emotion.

"I know. I felt the same way."

"You saved my life!" he grabbed Walter in a hug. "I was so scared. I knew who they were and I knew what they could do."

"I know. I know." Walter held him. "But it was Alex who is responsible for saving all our lives; not me."

"I don't believe that. He's probably in it with them but I don't even care any more. I'm free and you're still alive and maybe Scully is too." He held on tightly to Walter. "Thank you! Thank you for coming for me!" He pulled Walter's head close and kissed him. "You saved my life!" He kissed him again then pulled back and asked, "If we find Scully's name on one of those lists, will you go with me to find her?"

"Of course I will," Walter said.

Mulder kissed him again and as Walter stepped back to try and disentangle, he stepped on a pine cone and stumbled. Mulder tried to hold on but the two of them fell laughing onto the pine needle covered ground below, Walter landing on top.

"So you fell for me?" Mulder teased and kissed him again.

Neither of them saw Alex approach, turn around and back away.

They got to their feet laughing.

"Sorry about that. I got a little carried away there. I'm just so happy to be free and to find you alive. It gives me hope that Scully is out there somewhere too."

"If she is, we'll find her. Come on. Let's get some food into you. You look like you lost twenty pounds."

They emerged from the woods in time to see and hear a motorcycle roar across the bridge and make its way to the tunnel and leave.

"Who was that?" Walter asked Parks who was sitting in a lawn chair sipping a cup of tea. "Doesn't he know what day this is? Tomorrow morning the patrol is due."

"Dear boy, that was Alex." Parks said as he eyed Mulder up and down rather distastefully.

"Alex? Where is he going? I thought no one ever went out the day before or after a patrol!"

"He didn't say. He just came out of the woods, went to his quarters and came out wearing his coat and helmet and left. He didn't speak to anyone."

"He was in the woods?" Walter asked as a cold sinking feeling came over him.

"Yes, he was." Parks stood up, tossed the dregs of his tea on the ground as he looked from Walter to Mulder and back again. "One might suspect that he saw something there that rather upset him." He said then turned and walked away.

"Shit!" Walter said and stood staring across the river at the tunnel entrance.

"Good riddance, I say." Mulder said then added, "You said something about food?"

"You don't understand, Mulder. If Alex saw … if he saw the two of us kissing … "

"So what if he did. He's gone. So much the better. I still don't understand why this group of nice people let him in here. They probably didn't know who or what he was."

"You don't understand, Mulder. Alex built this place; these people are all still alive because of him. I'm alive because of him and so are you."

Mulder stood silent, not believing a word.

"And there's something else you may as well know too. Alex and I are … together. We have been for some time now."

Mulder stared at him, shaking his head. "Somebody please kill me now." He said in disgust.

"Mulder, I'm telling you, he is **not** the Alex Krycek we both knew and hated. He's completely different. He's kind and caring and he considers these people as the family he never had."

"Talk about your dysfunctional family!" Mulder muttered. "Come on. Let's get something to eat. I'm sure he'll be back shortly."

"I'm not. Not if he saw us." Walter followed Mulder on into the cafeteria but kept his eye on the tunnel as long as he could.

xxx

Alex knew what day it was and about the danger was but he didn't care. He roared his motorcycle over the countryside, right into town and stopped at the general store. He went in and pulled a bottle of whiskey down from a shelf, uncapped it and took a long drink. He stuck it in his pocket and got several more bottles down, as many as he could carry and headed back to his bike. With a roar, he was out of town and heading north.

He found a deserted house, went in and took his motorcycle with him. He didn't leave for several days, not until he had drank every drop of whiskey plus half a dozen bottles of wine he had found in the house. When he left he wandered around for months as he continued on north and didn't change directions until he got into Canada. He made his way East across the country. Half the time he didn't know where he was. He stayed in one place only until his liquor ran out and he'd take off again. He was somewhere just west of Montreal when he blew a tire. The bike flipped and he rolled a hundred feet before he managed to stop himself. He was bruised, battered and bleeding but he had broken no bones. He made his way back to his motorcycle and cursed when he found the last of his whiskey was broken and leaking out into the snow.

He hauled his bike over to some bushes and stashed it then looked carefully around to mark the spot in his memory so he could find it again. He took off walking. There were aliens all over Montreal but he had to get in and find someplace where he could get a new tire. He waited until after dark and snuck into town. It took him two hours before he was able to locate a tire store. He went in and with his small flash light he was going through all the small tires. He had just spotted the size he needed, pulled it down from the stack and turned around and there were two aliens standing there pointing their weapons at him.

He didn't really even care any more. He thought seriously about just making a sudden move and it would be all over with. But there was something inside of him that wouldn't let him. The drive out to the internment camp took about twenty minutes and his muscles were really starting to ache from his accident as well as the cold. They marched him to a barracks after relieving him of his gun, and shoved him inside the door and locked it behind him.

The foul stench of unclean humans filled his nostrils as he made his way through the semi darkness, looking for a place to lie down. He heard a slight struggle at the far end of the room and a voice growling, "Move over, girlie. It's my turn for the bed." He heard a loud "uuuuph" and saw a body being shoved over the side of the last bed on one side. He caught a glimpse of red hair as the woman hit the floor and he knew in an instant who it was.

He hurried to kneel beside her. "Scully? Are you all right?" He helped her to sit up.

"Who … who are you? How do you know me?" She asked the bearded stranger before her.

"Scully, it's me. Alex Krycek. Are you hurt?"

"Krycek?" She stared at the specter before her; long hair, several months' growth of beard and knew that she was indeed speaking to their old nemesis, Alex Krycek. "They got you too?"

"Yeah, just about an hour ago." He said as he sat down beside her.

"Just my luck." Scully mumbled as she pulled her blanket closer around her shoulders.

"Huh?"

"The first person I meet in four years that I know and it had to be you."

"Oh. I see what you mean. I have some good news for you though if you're interested?"

"The only news I want to hear is that this whole nightmare is over with."

"It's about Mulder and Skinner. They're both alive."

She turned to face him in the dim light that shown in through the window from the security light outside. "That's not funny, Krycek. I know what they did with all the government employees."

"It's true, Scully. We found Skinner a couple of years ago and got him out of the camp he was in. Then, about a year ago now, we found Mulder. They are both alive and well."

She trembled, and tears filled her eyes. "You're making that up."

"No. I wouldn't do that. Are you hungry?" He dug in his pocket and brought out an energy bar and handed it to her.

Her eyes grew wide and she tore into it and ate it as quickly as she could chew. He handed her his water bottle and she drank it down eagerly.

"Easy, now. Easy or it will come right back up." He took the bottle back from her and re-capped it. Everything changed for him now. He had found Scully. He had to get her out of there and back to Colorado and safety. "Listen to me, Scully. I have a long story to tell you and I've got to make it quick. It will be dawn in a couple of hours and we have to be out of here by then."

"Out of here? You know a way out? Without getting us both burned?" She said in a loud whisper.

"Shhhhh. Over here." He moved back against the wall as far away from anyone else as he could get. She scooted over next to him.

"Yes, I can get us out of here."

"But where would we go? They're everywhere."

"I have a place. A safe place. It will take a long time to get there but I have a motorcycle. I blew a tire. That's why I had to come into town to get a new one. That's how I got caught."

"Where is this safe place you're talking about and you said 'we' found Skinner and 'we' found Mulder. Who is this 'we' you're talking about?"

"Ok. From the beginning then. I was on a plane when this all happened."

He explained the rest of the story as quickly as he could with Scully staring silently and listening to every word.

"That's the most incredible story I've ever heard." she said. "So what are you doing up here in Canada if you have this great safe place in Colorado?"

"As I said, the Special Ops teams go out constantly trying to find new camps and get lists of names. We've been looking for your name and now I know why it never showed up. I don't think any of our teams has made it into Canada yet."

"And you think you can get us both out of here and all the way down to Colorado?"

"Yes. We should go right now. Let me check and make sure the guard isn't watching."

"Wait, wait a minute. Tell me first. How do you plan on getting us out of here? I want to hear this plan before I agree to it."

"We don't have much time Scully but here it is in a nutshell. We have learned that when someone is taken prisoner, they are searched for weapons and I.D. That is all. In the lining of this coat, I have the wire and clips that we need to get through their electric fence. I also have wire cutter that they took from me, looked at and handed back. They had no idea what it was but figured it wasn't a weapon." He pulled the lining loose from his coat and pulled out the wire with the clips on either end and showed her the wire cutter.

"You really think we can get out of here and all the way down to Colorado?"

"I know we can. I have maps and I know safe places along the way where we can stop and get supplies, food and gas. We need to go now."

"How do you propose to get out that door?"

"With these." He held up his lock-picks.

"Ok. I'm willing to give this plan of yours a try." She stood up and rubbed her backside where she had fallen when shoved off the bunk.

"Are you Ok? Are you sure?" Krycek asked her.

"I'm fine. So if you've really got some place where there's plenty of food and water and Skinner and Mulder are there, lead me to it."

They crept up to the front of the room, through the sleeping, snoring bunch and Alex worked his picks into the lock. It clicked open and Alex peered out. They could see the guard walking his route at the far side of the yard. He walked all the way to the end of the enclosure, then turned and walked all the way back to the opposite end.

"Ok. Once he passes us, his back will be to us. We slip out and get around the corner of the building before he turns back. We skirt around the edge of the building until he passes again and then we high tail it for the back and the fence."

"Ok." Scully pulled the blanket closer around her.

"It's going to be a long walk but we can make it. Here he comes. Are you ready?"

"I'm ready." She whispered.

They slipped out into the night and made it easily to the corner of the building and out of sight before the guard turned and headed back.

"Ok. See that building back there? That's out next stop when he passes up again." Alex said.

As soon as the guard passed them again, they took off. It was an easy run. It was not a barracks building so it wasn't guarded. They skirted around the edges of the building until they had it between them and the any possible sighting from the guard patrolling the barracks they had just come out of. Three more deserted buildings back and they could see the fence. They stopped and caught their breaths.

"Ok. I don't see any guard stations that could possibly see us. We're going straight for the middle of the fence there. When we get there, you flatten yourself down as low as possible while I work on the fence. Got it?"

"I got it. After we get through the fence, how far is it to your motorcycle?"

"It's quiet a way, about six or eight miles I think. But first we have to get back into town and get that tire."

"I almost forgot about that." Scully sighed.

"If you want, I can take you out of town first and go back for the tire by myself but it's getting pretty close to daylight."

"No. I'll go with you. If you have somebody watching your back, you won't get caught this time."

"Thanks. I was hoping you would see it that way. Ok. Let's go." They took off running across the large field in front of them and stopped in front of the fence where Scully threw herself to the ground as she was told. Alex did the same and looked around but saw no one. He carefully worked his by-pass rig out of his coat and connected it to the fence and got to work with his wire cutter. In no time they were through the fence and running for the trees. They stopped long enough to catch their breath then made their way into town.

Building to building, street to street they crept along. They saw few aliens. They apparently didn't care for the dark and didn't spend all that much time out in it unless they were in their trucks.

The sky was beginning to lighten in the east before they got to the tire store. He knew exactly what he needed; in fact the tire was lying on the floor, right where he dropped it when he was taken. He grabbed it and they took off at a trot heading west. They had to stop several times for Scully to catch her breath. She had been in captivity for four years and was not in very good shape. Alex kept giving her trail mix and energy bars and sips of water. Once safely out of town, he found a spot and made her lie down, promising to get back to her as soon as he could with the motorcycle and more food and water. She didn't want to be left behind but she could go no further.

"Scully, you have to trust me here. My motorcycle is about another four or five miles from here. You cannot make it. I can't carry both you and the tire. I'll go, get this tire on, and come right back for you. I promise you! I didn't get you out of that place just to desert you out here in the middle of no where."

She shook her head 'Ok' but she felt anything but Ok. She was terrified but too weak to argue. She wrapped up in her blanket as she clung to the bottle of water he handed her.

"I'll be back as soon as I can. It may be an hour or so. It depends on how easily this tire goes on. You'll be all right. I'll be back and get you and we'll be on our way."

She grabbed his arm as he was about to leave. "Krycek, Mulder and Skinner – they're really alive? They're safe in this place you're taking me to?"

"Yes. Mulder was skinny as a rail last time I saw him but he's been there about a year now so I'm sure he's gotten some weight back. Skinner's a little thinner than he was but he's in good shape."

She let go of him then and he left. She sank back down between the rocks and bushes and said a prayer of thanks and begging for it all to be true. She was cold and shivered but at least she was out in the fresh air and didn't have to share her sleeping spot with anyone. She was beyond exhausted and curled up and dozed off.

"Scully, Scully, wake up." Alex shook her awake.

She came awake frightened and being pulled at. "What … Krycek? Did you get the tire on?"

"I did. Here." He handed her an open can of vegetables and a plastic spoon. He ate his with his bare fingers and drank the juice out of the can.

"Oh my God! Thank you! I love green beans!" She devoured the entire can and drank the juice as Alex had.

"Ok. Can we leave now or do you need to go behind the rocks there and do your business?" He asked her.

"Yeah, I'd better. It will only take a minute." She came back around from the rocks and joined Alex as he was leaning against the motorcycle strapping on his helmet.

"Here," he said tossing her a helmet as well. "You may have to hold some of this food on your lap or you can sit behind me, whichever you want."

"Let's leave the food where it is. We don't want to take the chance of loosing any of it. I can ride behind you."

"Ok. We can change off and on. In the next town I'll see about getting some large bags to hold the food in and we can figure a way to tie it on the back. Then you can ride in the side car. It got a little bent there when I flipped but it's good and secure. Let's go."

It was full morning when they set out but they stayed in the country side and passed very few roads. It was three hours before they stopped for the first time in a forest among beautiful pine trees. Alex brought out some more canned goods and water which they devoured. She stared at Alex while she ate.

"What?" he asked her as he finished eating and dug a shallow hole and dumped the cans in.

"You're the last person in the world that I expected would come to my rescue."

"Mulder would have been here for you if he had known where you were. We've been scanning every list of names that came in looking for you." He reached for her hand and pulled her up.

"I know that. It's just that …"

"I know. You hate me as much as Mulder does and you have every right. I caused the two of you a lot of grief. But this is here and now, Scully. The Consortium is gone, Spender is dead and I'm a free man. I can live my life the way I want to and right now that's surviving and helping as many others to survive as possible."

"It's just not something that I'd ever figure you as doing."

"I know. But that's because you never knew the real me. No one ever has." He donned his helmet again and she did the same.

"What's our next stop?" she asked.

"We're just outside of Pembroke right now. I'd like to put as many miles behind us today as we can. The next little town is called Marathon and it's about four hundred miles northwest but it was nice flat terrain most of the way and we should be able to make pretty good time. If we can make it there before dark, I can slip into town and get some more supplies; and maybe a small tent. We've been making about fifty miles an hour. So we're looking at about a hard eight hours ahead of us. We can stop whenever you need to but if you want to sleep in a shelter of some kind tonight, we need to get there. I'm guessing we have about seven hours of daylight left. There are two national parks this side of Marathon. We can stop there if we need to. I have a sleeping bag that you can use but that's the only shelter until we can get a tent. If you get too tired, we can always dump the food and you can ride in the side car. We can always pick up some more food along the way."

"No, don't do that. I'll be able to hold on. If I get too tired I'll tell you."

"Ok. You do look a little stronger. It's amazing what a few cans of food can do."

"And the fresh water. I haven't tasted that since he last time it rained." She climbed on the motorcycle behind Alex.

"Hang on." He said and they were off again.

They did not make it into Marathon but when they stopped at the camp grounds in the Lake Superior Provincial Park they found a couple of small tents and a campsite that had been abandoned. They tried not to think about what happened to the original owners of the camping equipment and just moved into the tents. They tried to sleep but it was too cold.

Scully crawled out of her tent and paced around the campsite.

"What is it, Scully? Are you hungry?"

"No. No, I'm just cold."

"Come on in here with me." He called to her and reached out a hand.

"I can't." She said, "I smell bad."

"So do I. Come on. It's better than freezing to death. I'll behave. I promise."

"It's not that." she said as she came over to his tent. "I just – I've never smelled this bad before."

"And you've never been this cold before either, I'll bet."

"I haven't"

"Come on. Let me warm you up. Tomorrow I promise we'll try and find an empty house somewhere and you can take a bath. We both can. Separately, I mean." He reached a hand out to her. "You don't smell any worse than I do. Tomorrow we'll find a place and we'll take a bath; try and find some clean clothes. How does that sound?"

"Heavenly! I desperately need a bath!" She said as she knelt down in front of his tent.

"Go get your sleeping bag and bring it in here. We'll zip the two of them together and crawl inside. That should keep us warm enough."

"You think it would be all right?"

"Absolutely."

She hurried back to her tent and dragged her sleeping bag over to his. He opened his sleeping bag out flat and zipped her bag on top and they crawled inside.

"Oh thank you. This is warmer."

"Come here." He put his arms around her and she cradled her head on his shoulder. "Tomorrow we'll find a place and clean up. I promise."

"Thank you. I know I'm being silly but I just don't want Mulder to see me like this; you know, smelling and all."

"It may have to be a cold bath because electricity is out everywhere but we can still wash up and hopefully find some clean clothes to put on."

"Thank you! Thank you so much. I think I can sleep now." She dozed off first then he did. They didn't awake until it was daylight.

They found a farm house just outside of Marathon the next morning and went inside bringing the motorcycle in with them. Scully went directly into the bathroom and tried the faucets. The water sputtered and came out rusty but after a few minutes it ran clean. There was nothing but cold water from both faucets.

Alex was in the kitchen and she smelled coffee as she was going through the closet and setting out clothes to change into. She hurried into the kitchen.

"Coffee? Oh man, I could use a gallon of that!"

"It should be about ready. I'm heating some water for your bath. We're lucky this is a gas stove."

"Oh, that will be wonderful. What did you find?" She asked as he pulled food down from the cupboards.

"I found some oat meal, canned pasta, some fruit and more vegetables. Here," he handed her one of the pots of boiling water. He carried the other two in and dumped them in the tub.

He went back into the kitchen and refilled the pots with water, three for his bath and one for the oatmeal. By the time it was ready, Scully came padding back into the kitchen with her hair wrapped up in a towel.

"Feel better?" he asked as she took a seat at the table.

"Better than I have in four years! Mmmmm that smells good." She said as she sat and devoured her breakfast.

He poured her another cup of coffee and headed to the bathroom and started the tub for himself. He carried the hot water in and added it to the cold water coming from the faucet. He undressed and got in. It was difficult getting his clothes off as some of it stuck to cuts and abrasions that he had gotten from the accident. But once he settled down into the few inches of warm water, it was all worth it.

He came out a short time later to find Scully in the living room brushing her hair.

"Hey, you shaved!" She said. "You look more like the Alex Krycek that I know now."

"Is that good or bad?" He asked jokingly.

"I have to say good. All I ever had to judge you on before was the things you did."

"Or thought I did," he corrected her.

"The things I thought you did. That was before. Now I can only judge you on what you are doing today and yesterday. You got me out of that camp I've been stuck in for four years. You fed me, kept me from freezing to death and today you made it possible for me to take a bath. I'd say that's all good."

"I'm glad then. We'd better get on the road. As much as I hate to leave this house, it's not safe. We best stay on the move. Grab some of those canned goods and let's see if we can re-arrange things here." He pulled their meager food supply out of the side car and started stuffing it into plastic bags. "I want to make at least three hundred miles today and I want you in the side car where you'll be more comfortable. That will put us into Minnesota. We'll find someplace to camp there for the night."

"There's no reason why a lot of that food can't stay in the side car. I won't take up that much room. Just leave all those cans there on the floor. I can put my feet on top of them."

"Get in and let's see how cramped you'll be."

She climbed in and he started putting back a lot of the cans. "You sure you'll be all right with these cans in here?"

"Sure. It's food and I'll carry it on my lap if I have to."

"Ok. I'll tie the sleeping bags and tent on the back where you've been sitting. Or if you're cold, we could open one up and you could sit inside it."

"No, that won't be necessary. I've got some warm clothes on now. I found some long johns and these jeans and even a pair of boots. I've got three pairs of socks on, a flannel shirt under this sweater and I found, a knit cap and some gloves."

"Good! I'm glad." He said as she hopped out of the side car and put a coat, hat and gloves on.

Alex donned his coat as well as his knit cap, gloves and helmet. They walked the motorcycle out doors, Scully climbed in and got comfortable and off they went; it was just passed noon.

Three hours later they crossed into the U.S. at International Falls. They then drove on another three hours due south which put them into the Chippewa National Forest. They set up camp there for the night.

"It's not nearly as cold tonight as it was last night. We should have tried to bring both tents." Alex said as they sat on a downed log and ate.

"I'm just as happy to share the one, if you don't mind." Scully grinned. "I slept really well last night. It's the first time I've been warm and not afraid in ages." She sipped her bottled water.

"We shouldn't run into any aliens as long as we stick to the countryside. None have been seen off the roads." He assured her.

"There are more things in the woods to be afraid of than just the aliens." She said.

"I suppose that's true but nothing that a .45 can't handle." He produced the gun from his pocket.

"You got that at the farm house?" She asked; glad to know that they had at least some protection.

"Uh huh. Looks pretty clean too. It was kept in a box so it didn't get dirty. It should come in handy."

"Let's hope you don't have to use it." Scully said.

"That's always best but if trouble comes, in the way of scavengers or such, then we'll at least have a chance."

They slept that night side by side in the little two-man tent that did little more than keep the breeze off of them. They got an early start the next morning and vowed to make two hundred miles by lunch time and they did. They stopped just north of Sioux City, Iowa and had lunch.

They were into Nebraska and just nearing Freemont when they heard the engine. Alex pulled up under a tree and turned his motorcycle off. They listened.

"That's not a truck. It sounds more like a plane."

"A plane?" Scully said. "I thought all airports were destroyed?"

"Most of them were." He craned his neck to see as the plane flew low over the area. "Look! It's dropping something."

The watched as what looked like confetti was raining down from the bottom of the plane.

"What is it?" Scully asked.

They waited until the plane was out of sight then rode over to where they could see the pieces of paper littering the ground. They each reached down and grabbed one and read.

"IT'S ALL OVER!" The head line proclaimed. "The aliens are gone! We're free again!

"Communications are still out all over but we are working on getting them back up again as well as the electricity. Please be patient as we work through this catastrophe. We are asking the help of each and every one of our citizens to do whatever they can to feed themselves and to share with your neighbors. It will take time to get everything back in order but we are working on it and it will be restored as soon as possible.

We suggest each of you with any land available to them, plant a vegetable garden to help the food crises. Even if you've never planted a thing before, try! It may be all you will have to eat for a while. We have no idea how long it will take to get things back to normal. Just rest assured that we are working on it.

Any and all military personnel are asked to report to the state capitol for further instructions.

Any and all current or past agents of the F.B.I and the C.I.A. please report to D.C. immediately. The need is desperate.

Remember to work together, help your neighbors, and be patient. We'll get through this thing together.

With restored hope for a brighter future,

Your President ______________________________"

"It's over?" Scully said in amazement. "They're really gone?"

"I don't know. I can't see how this could be a trick unless they are trying to lure stragglers out of hiding; but to what purpose would that be? They aren't killing the humans any more, just keeping them penned up. Why would they want more to have to look after?" Krycek re-read the note.

"What are we going to do? Do you want to head to D.C.?" Scully asked.

"No. Not yet. I've got to get to the valley. After I get you to Mulder, then I'll think about whether I want to go to D.C. or not."

They took off and didn't stop for another hundred and fifty miles, just outside of North Platte, Nebraska.

"You wait here and I'll go into town and see if I can find out anything." Krycek said as he pulled to a stop and rolled the motorcycle up into an old barn. "That way if it's a trick, only one of us will get caught. And I'll be able to get out easier if it's just me they grab."

"I want to go in with you!" Scully insisted.

"No. You've got to get back to the valley. Town doesn't look to be but about five miles. It shouldn't take too long. Stay inside and out of sight. I'll be back for you in an hour or so."

"Here. You take this." He handed her the .45 and a box of shells. "It's bigger than you're used to. Just hold it with both hands if you have to use it and prepare yourself for a heck of a kick."

"I've fired a .45 before. I can handle it. Don't you think you should take it; just in case?"

"No. If they take me, I'd just be loosing another gun. Stragglers I can evade. You're the one who needs it. Why don't you get up in the loft." He reached into the side car and pulled out a bottle of water. "Here. Find yourself a comfortable place and keep down. If stragglers come by and try and take the motorcycle, let them have it. I can always pick up another one. Just keep down and keep quiet."

"Ok. But hurry right back. I don't like you going into town alone."

"I'll be back as soon as I can." He said and walked the motorcycle over into a stall and closed the door, hoping if anyone did come by and investigate the barn they would miss it.

He was back in a little over an hour with the news that the entire town was celebrating. Apparently the aliens had departed two days before and people were streaming back into town from internment camps in the area.

They hopped on the motorcycle and headed for the valley.

CHAPTER ELEVEN

They rode into the valley to the cheers of the others. As soon as they stopped, Mulder hurled himself at Scully, dragging her out of the sidecar and kissing her violently. Skinner walked up to Alex, kissed him hard then pulled back a fist and punched him in the face, knocking him down. With that, he turned away and walked back to his barracks.

The group gathered around laughed and applauded while they hauled Alex to his feet and shoved him towards the barracks after Skinner.

Walter stood with his back to the door, one hand on the bunk bed. Alex came in and turned the lock on the door behind him so they wouldn't be disturbed.

"I'm sorry." Alex said. Walter remained silent. "I saw you in the woods with Mulder. The two of you were kissing. Then you were on the ground on top of him kissing him again."

Walter remained silent.

"I couldn't stay here; I couldn't … share you."

"You're a fool! You know that? A God damned stupid fool!" Walter whirled on him.

They stared at each other, neither willing to back down or comment further.

"What would you have done?" Alex asked angrily.

"What would I have done?" Walter thought for a moment.

"Yeah. What would you have done if you had come into the woods and seen me kissing Mulder; lying on the ground on top of him, kissing him?"

Walter stared at him for a moment then started out. "I would have come up to you and offered a hand to help you up as you had *obviously* stumbled and as Mulder tried to help, he went down too taking you with him. I would have dusted you off and invited the two of you inside for dinner."

"You lying son of a bitch," Alex chuckled.

In an instant Walter had him in his arms and kissed him passionately. "I'm a lying son of a bitch and you're still a fucking idiot! Did you really think that something was going on between me and Mulder?"

"I didn't until I saw you kissing him."

"You didn't see me kissing him. You saw him kissing me – big difference."

"Not from my angle."

"Then you should have stayed around long enough to ask questions! Jesus, Alex. You've been gone nearly a year! I was sure they had taken you!" Walter held him close, crushing the life half out of him.

"They did but I got away. And the camp they put me in just happened to be the one where Scully was being held."

"Why didn't her name show up on any of the lists?"

"I don't think any of our teams got up into Canada."

"Canada? You went to Canada?"

"Hell, I was so drunk; I didn't know where I was half the time. I just kept on going and drinking; trying to wipe what I'd seen out of my memory."

"Like I said, you're an idiot." Walter kissed him tenderly this time.

"I thought I'd lost you. I couldn't stand it. I couldn't stay around here and see the two of you together."

"The only thing that matters now is that you're safe and back here where you belong."

Alex melted against him; into the only warmth he had ever known and sighed with contentment.

"Oh my God! I haven't told you the news!" Alex pulled back from the embrace.

"The news is that you're home and you found Scully? I know that." Walter pulled him back again but Alex resisted.

"It's all over! They're gone. The aliens are all gone and all the camps are liberated. Everyone is out in the streets celebrating!"

Walter stared at him open mouthed. "Are you sure? It could be some kind of trick?"

"No, it isn't. Here." Alex pulled the leaflet out of his pocket and gave it to him. "It's all over, Walter. That's from the President. He wants everyone connected with the Bureau to come to D.C. You'll be made Director for sure!"

Walter scanned the document and as he read he heard the celebrating out side as the cheers broke out. They were all safe now. Safe from the aliens, but what was left of their country? A shiver of fear went through him as he thought about that. Would things ever again get back to where they were?

They were swept up in a maelstrom of celebration. Everyone was screaming and shouting and hugging everyone. The SO men who were in camp at the time took off on their motorcycles to investigate. People were dancing and singing "Happy Days are Here Again". A shower finally sent them all inside for lunch. They were all so excited they could barely eat. Afterwards there was packing to do then came time for good-byes.

They loaded up their belongings and climbed into the trucks. Everyone was hugging and promising to write one another or keep in touch in whatever way they could. Even Harry was weeping and he said his good byes and hugging everybody.

"Alex, I'll never forget what you did for me; for us all. You made me realize that I am capable of a lot more than I ever dreamed possible." He grabbed Alex and hugged him. "You ever get to NYC, you look me up! I'm Yellow Cab number 6048."

"Yeah, thanks, Harry." Alex answered as he disentangled himself.

"I mean it now. I'm in the phone book. Call me or come by. I'll buy you a beer."

"I'll do that. Take care of yourself now."

"I will. I know how to now, thanks to you." Harry said and climbed into the back of the truck.

"Are you ready to go, Walter?" Mulder asked as he and Scully walked up, their arms wrapped around each other.

"In a minute." Walter said and turned to Alex. "So what are your plans?"

"I don't have any. For the first time in four years, all I have to do is look out for myself."

"Why not come back to D.C. with us? I'm sure I could put in a word for you; maybe get you back on at the Bureau."

"No thanks. I'm not the neck tie and briefcase type." Alex answered as he sat on his motorcycle.

"You could be if you wanted to." Walter said, dreading what he knew was coming.

"You go on to D.C. Do your thing, Walter. They need you now more than ever. What they don't need is an ex-Consortium assassin."

"No one needs to know about that."

"Enough do to make working at the Bureau out of the question for me."

"So you're saying 'Good bye' then?" Walter hated that his voice and his words sounded so needy.

"Come on, Walter. The last truck is leaving." Mulder called to him as he helped Scully on board and jumped on himself.

Alex pulled his helmet on, keyed the ignition on his motorcycle and roared off. Walter watched him go as he climbed on board the truck. He watched as the motorcycle cleared the bridge, crossed the fields and disappeared into the tunnel. He glanced back for one last look at the settlement just before they entered the tunnel. A great sadness welled up inside of him. This had been his home for two years. He had found safety there, freedom, companionship and much, much more. He swallowed the lump in his throat and tried to join in with all the others who were celebrating going home. He didn't have much luck. He couldn't help but wonder what they were going to find when they got there.

In minutes they had made it into town and were unloading and climbing aboard one of the four Greyhound busses that the Special Ops men had secured for them. Mulder and Scully had cuddled up next to each other; holding hands and whispering softly to one another. Walter took a seat farther back and sat alone next to a window. He leaned his head against the cool glass and thought about Alex.

It seemed strange driving up on the highway again. They made pretty good time except when they came to a town and had to make their way around all the cars still left in the middle of the street. Most of them just sitting there as if stopped for a red light, several were burned out. They tried to not look at those for they all knew what that meant.

Along the way they dropped people off and sometimes picked people up walking along the highway. Skinner watched numbly, dreading what he was going to find when he got to D.C. He got off the bus in a small town about seventy five miles west of D.C. which put him within a few miles walk of his cabin. He kept the good-byes short and left with his few belongings in a back pack. He slung it over his shoulder and started walking.

There were people all around now and cars driving back and forth. He wondered if his car would still be there where he left it four years earlier. The bus was staying in town for lunch so if his car was gone, or too damaged to drive, he could make it back into town in time to go on to D.C. with them.

He found the car right where he left it – keys still in the ignition. His cabin was untouched and locked up tight. He was grateful now that in his haste to get out of there that he had left the keys in the car. He unlocked the cabin door and went in.

It was musty and full of dust but other than that, nothing had changed. He grabbed up a few clothes and dumped those, along with the contents of his pack, into a sports bag he dragged out of the closet. In the kitchen, he bagged up some of the groceries he had on the shelves. He started to take it all then decided to leave some behind – just in case someone hungry came through. He left the door unlocked, took one last look around and left.

The drive into D.C. felt strange. He had driven nothing in the last four years but those trucks or a motorcycle and that was all off-road. The car seemed unusually large and comfortable. The closer he got into town, the more traffic there was. He could see burned out cars along the side of the highway where they had been pushed off the road. The clean up had begun.

He took the Crystal City turn off and made his way to his apartment. He was pleased to see the electricity on but there was no one at the front desk, no one milling around the lobby. He tried the elevator and the door opened immediately. Outside his door he hesitated. He had often come home at odd hours and found the building this silent but never before in the middle of the day. He wondered how many of his neighbors had made it. He put the key in the lock, turned it and walked in.

He stood in the middle of the room and glanced around. It was exactly as he had left it except for the heavy layer of dust that coated everything. He went straight to his liquor cabinet, uncapped a bottle and after wiping it off, took a long drink.

He coughed and gagged at the burn. It was the first touch of alcohol he had had in four years and it jolted him. He recapped the bottle, took his coat off and got to work. The first thing he did was to open the sliding glass doors to the balcony. The place desperately needed to be aired out.

He took the stairs two at a time and made it up to his room. He pulled everything off his bed, got the towels out of his bathroom – all of them – even the ones in the cabinet and carried everything downstairs to the laundry room. The washer spit and sputtered when he first turned it on but he stuffed it full and headed for the kitchen.

He hadn't had all that much food in his refrigerator but when he opened the door it still emitted a foul odor. He got out a plastic trash bag and dumped everything. The water in the sink ran rusty for a few seconds then it was clear again and he started scrubbing everything up.

After the kitchen he did both bathrooms, upstairs and down. He stopped only long enough to fix himself something to eat. He had all sorts of things in his pantry but opted instead to open a can of green beans followed by a can of peaches that he had brought out of the settlement. He sat at his kitchen table and looked around and wondered why he had never felt so alone before in this place which now felt huge to him. He made a mental note to dump this place as soon as he could. He couldn't remember for the life of him, why he had felt the need for a place this big. And two bedrooms; why on earth had he gotten a place with two bedrooms? Just one more room to clean and he had never had an over night guest in all the time he had lived there. What a colossal waste of space and money. He shook his head at himself then wondered how many others going home had the same feelings.

He was jolted out of his reflections when the phone rang. He hadn't heard a phone ring in so long it addled him for a moment. He sat down at his desk and answered it.

"Skinner." He said.

"Good, you made it. Are you coming in this afternoon? You won't believe the mess we've got on our hands here." Mulder said.

"Yeah. I need to clean up first. I should be there within an hour. How bad is it?"

"Let's just say, you can have your pick of offices now."

Skinner sighed and rubbed the back of his neck; the old tension rearing its head again. "I'll be there shortly."

The streets of D.C. had about as much traffic as they normally did on a Sunday morning – next to none. He pulled into the parking lot to find no guard at the gate and a sign that said to use the front entrance and check in at the desk. Before he got to the desk, two men came up to him and asked, "Are you an AD? Do you know what's going on here? What we're supposed to be doing?"

"Have you checked in at the desk?" Skinner asked them.

"Yeah, but our names aren't on any lists. We had just finished training at Quantico and hadn't been assigned anywhere yet."

"Ok. Well come on up with me. I'll see what I can find out." Skinner was surprised to see Nelson, the old guard from the parking lot sitting behind the front desk.

"Nelson! Good to see you." Skinner reached out a hand to the smiling man.

"You too, Mr. Skinner. Glad to see that you made it. You can go right on up."

Up on the fourth floor most of the offices were deserted. Mulder met him in the hallway.

"Here," Mulder said and handed him a cell phone. "Phones are working pretty good again. Where'd you pick these two up?"

"Lobby. They said they just finished up at Quantico but hadn't been assigned anywhere. Do we have computer access so we can check them out?"

"Yeah, we do." Mulder said as he followed Skinner into his office.

"Oh hi, Walter – I mean sir." Scully popped out from his en-suite bathroom drying her hands on a paper towel. "I was just cleaning up the place for you."

"Thanks, Dana. I appreciate that. Who's in charge; does anyone know?"

"Unfortunately, Kersh seems to be the only one higher than you to show up."

"No one's heard from the Director?" Skinner asked.

"No. She could still be around somewhere but no one has heard from her."

"So exactly what do we have left?"

"Kersh, four A.D.s, and about twenty five agents." Mulder said.

"Oh my God!" Skinner sighed and sat down behind his desk. "Well, can you get someone to check these two out? We're going to need them."

"I'll do it." Mulder said and took the two young men out of the office with him.

"Is there anything I can do for you?" Scully asked.

"I don't suppose there are any secretaries around?"

"Five so far have showed up."

"And I suppose the other A.D.s and Kersh already have them doing double duty."

"I'm afraid so. I've been trying to help out all I can as there doesn't seem to be any classes going yet. How can I help?"

"Thanks, Dana. I appreciate that." Skinner leaned back in his chair and grimaced. Where to start! "I guess I need to see Kersh. Can you set up an appointment with him for me?"

"Certainly." She said and left his office.

Before he had a chance to clear his mind she came back in with the message that Kersh wanted to see him immediately.

He was shocked by the warm greeting Kersh had given him, standing up and reaching out his hand. He was genuinely happy to see Skinner. The two of them got right to work.

Six months later …

"Are you sure you want to do this?" Mulder asked as Skinner pulled his office key off his key ring and handed it to him.

"Positive. Everything is running relatively smoothly now."

"You're going to go look for Krycek?"

"Uh huh. He's out there somewhere. Maybe he'll hear that I've left the Bureau and he'll find me. I don't know. I just know it's what I have to do."

"He could be anywhere. It'd be like looking for a needle in a haystack."

"Needles have been found in haystacks before. Maybe I'll get lucky." Skinner said as he entered the elevator and pressed the down button.

"You really think he's a changed man?" Mulder asked as he rode down with him.

"I know he is."

"What are your plans for after you find him?" Mulder asked as they made their way out of the building.

"I don't have any. We'll just play it by ear; whatever he wants."

"You're really that crazy about him?"

"I am." Skinner stopped beside his car, unlocked the door and opened it. He looked back at Mulder and said. "Everyone has changed since this catastrophe, Mulder. Why can't you believe that Alex could change too?"

"I don't know. Maybe there was just too much there between us. I can't quite let myself believe that he could, even though Scully believes he has too."

"You didn't get to spend much time with him before he left. But you talked with the others in the settlement. Didn't they change your mind at all?"

"I never could believe they were talking about the same person that I knew."

"That was the real Alex Krycek, Mulder. The one we never met before. Or maybe you did when he first came to work at the Hoover and the two of you worked together."

"That was another life time. He totally changed when he left the Bureau."

"And now he's changed back. We all change over the years, Mulder. Why can't you believe that he could change too?"

"I don't know."

"Well I trust him and I'm going to find him."

"Just be careful and keep in touch!" Mulder said as Skinner climbed into his car and closed the door.

"I will." Skinner answered through the window as it slid down. "You and Scully take care of one another."

Mulder gave a little wave as Skinner backed his car out of his spot and drove off.

He made a quick stop at his condo, changed clothes, loaded up his SUV and headed west.

He didn't know what made him think to go there first but the settlement was the only place he could think of so he made a bee line for it. He arrived at dusk on the second day.

It took him a while but he finally found the entrance and pulled the bushes aside, worked the lock on the door and pulled his car into the tunnel. He got out and closed and locked it behind him. The tunnel was dark, none of the lanterns were lit. He had enough light with his car lights to see where he was going and in a few minutes he was at the inner door. He worked the lock on it and drove on through into the valley, locking the door behind him.

He stood for a moment in the semi-darkness and gazed across the river. He saw nothing, no movement or sign of life anywhere. He sighed. Maybe this was a mistake. The place seemed empty. He gazed at the empty stables, the empty mechanics shed, the over grown fields and a great feeling of sadness overcame him. He drove slowly through the fields and across the bridge. He stopped his car and got out when he came to the main clearing. All was deathly quiet.

His heart swelled up and he couldn't stop the tears. He picked up a lawn chair that had blown over and sat it up with the others. He slumped into the chair, head in hands and whispered aloud, "Alex, where are you!"

After a time, he stood up and walked to his old building. He tried the knob and it was unlocked. He went in flicked the light switch and the lights came on.

The place was just as he left it. He went over to his bunk and lay down. He turned over and wept. "Why did I let you go?" He sobbed. "I never should have let go of you once you got back. I should have told you how much I missed you; how much I needed you."

Eventually he slept. When he awoke, the sun was shining in the window and he felt the staleness of the place. He got up and opened the windows and aired the place out. The breeze was cool and he knew winter was not too far behind.

He wandered around the place for a bit then headed for the cafeteria. There was still a lot of food in the kitchen and in the storage shed. The freezers were still half full. He dug around in the kitchen and put a pot of coffee on. What to do next, he wondered. He was in pretty good shape if he wanted to winter there but was that what he wanted to do – winter there all alone?

He fixed himself some oatmeal and ate it down hungrily. Afterwards he stood staring out into the fields for a while then went out to the shed and got some burlap bags and set about to work in the fields. No sense in letting all the food just rot there. He picked all that hadn't already rotted and carried it over his shoulder and into the kitchen. Then he got out a shovel and started digging potatoes and other root vegetables. By the time he was finished he was soaked with sweat and starving again.

He pulled an elk steak out of the freezer and put it in the microwave to thaw then headed for his building. He took a quick shower and changed his clothes then headed back to the kitchen to prepare his dinner. It was as delicious as he remembered. The food was perfect. Everything was perfect except for the fact that he was alone – again.

After dinner the rain came and it got quite cold. He started a fire in the stove that was nearest his bunk but it was still cold; too cold. The next morning, he set about moving into one of the cabins that had been built for the families. They were small, two bedroom cabins – about the same size as his cabin in Virginia, maybe a little bigger.

He got a fire going in the fireplace and in no time the place was warmed up. He sat in the rocker in front of the fire and wondered what he should do next. He was so sure that Alex would be there but he was wrong and he didn't have a clue to where to look for him.

The next few weeks he puttered around the place doing little odd jobs. He got out the cook books in the main kitchen and figured out how to freeze the vegetables and set about doing that. When he had finished the freezers were full.

He noticed the apple trees that they had planted were full and spent a few days picking all he could reach. He spent the next several days making apple juice and applesauce. He followed the directions carefully and was thankful that he had helped their cook Bobby do this the year before. He carefully labeled and dated everything.

He was sitting in front of the fire one evening and watching the snow coming down. He made a mental note to dig out the snow shoes as before long it would be difficult getting around out side. He was listening to some music on a CD player when he first heard it. He thought the CD was going bad but then he heard it again -- a loud drunken voice singing something out of tune.

He got up and switched the music off. He was about to go to bed when he heard it again.

It was louder this time. He could only make out a few words but one seemed to be 'Super' something or other. He grabbed his coat and yanked the door open. He heard it loud and clear this time, "Super- calla- fuck-if-I-care-a dotious" and some other assorted mumblings.

He ran towards the main clearing and saw it then. Someone was sitting on a motorcycle, arms outstretched and singing at the top of his lungs. He ran as fast as he could. It was Alex! He knew it. It just had to be Alex! He prayed as he hurried through the falling snow.

"ALEX! ALEX!" he screamed as he ran towards him.

The singing stopped and Alex got off his motorcycle. He stared as if seeing a ghost as Skinner came running to him out of the snowy night.

"I can't remember the fucking words to that stupid song." He mumbled.

Skinner seized him then and they both fell into the snow. Skinner showered him with kisses and in between he tried to get a few words in. "I love you, Alex. I never should have let you go. Never, ever let you go again. God, I missed you!"

When he could catch his breath, Alex pulled away and sat up. "What are you doing here when you should be in D.C. with Mulder?"

"Why on earth would I want to be in D.C. with Mulder when I can be right here with you?"

"Is he here?" Alex looked quickly around.

"No. We're alone; just the two of us." He pulled Alex's face in for another kiss.

"Shit. I'm drunk. This is probably another dream."

Skinner took a hold of Alex's ear and twisted it.

"Owww."

"You're not dreaming. You probably are drunk though. You smell like it. You need a nice hot bath. How does that sound? I've got some elk stew warming up in the kitchen and a fire in the fireplace. Come on." He stood up and pulled Alex to his feet.

"Ohhhhh, my head hurts." Alex complained as they walked.

"How much have you had to drink?"

"I don't know. I wasn't keeping track. Hey, are you really here?"

"I'm here all right. Can't you hear my teeth chatter? It's freezing out here."

"Then let's get inside." Alex said and turned towards the barracks building.

"No, down here. I'm in the Dunlap's cabin."

"Who else is here?"

"No one. Just us. You think you can stand that? Being alone here with me?"

Walter smiled at him as he opened the door and they went inside to the warmth of the cabin.

Alex stared at him as they warmed their hands at the fire place. "What are you doing here, Walter?"

"I came looking for you. I've been here almost two months now. I didn't know where else to look."

"You needed me for something?"

"Uh huh. I need you to make me feel whole again. The only time in my life when I've ever felt complete and where I belonged was that year I spent here with you."

"Oh man, if I'm dreaming – this is some dream!" Alex mumbled.

"It's not a dream, Alex, its reality; our reality. If you want it, that is."

Alex couldn't speak he was shaking so hard.

"You're freezing," Walter said. "I'll get a hot bath started for you. You'll feel better after you get cleaned up a bit. My razor is in there, help yourself. I'll put some coffee on."

Alex kept his place in front of the fire until Walter came back out of the bathroom and headed for the kitchen. He then made his way to the back and into the bathroom which was now filling up with steam. He couldn't remember when anything looked as inviting as that tub filling with hot water. He stripped his clothes off quickly and shaved while the tub was filling.

He soaped up then just sat and soaked in the sudsy water until it turned cool. He was about to get out when there was a knock on the door and Walter came in.

"Here. Get some of this in you." He handed Alex a cup of steaming coffee.

"You came here looking for me? How did you know I'd even come back here?"

"I didn't. I just hoped you would."

Alex sipped his coffee, "So what are your plans?"

"Just one. And that is to never let you out of my sight again." Walter grinned as he crossed his arms and leaned back against the closed door.

Alex's head thudded back against the wall as he stared at Walter. "What about D.C.? How long before you have to go back?"

"I'm not going back. I recommended Mulder to take my place and Kersh agreed."

"What are they doing for agents then?"

"There was a whole class of graduates just before this thing happened -- three hundred and sixteen. Two hundred and eighty three made it out alive."

"They're all new though."

"Uh huh. New agents for a new country. It's a whole new world out there now, Alex. We've been given a chance here to do it all over. Let's hope we get it right this time." Walter took a deep breath. "There's something I want to tell you, something that I should have told you long ago. I love you, Alex, more than I've ever loved any one or any thing and more than that … I need you. These last months without you have been brutal. But I did my part. I helped get everything organized and going again at the Bureau. I'm a free man now, free to go where I want and do what I want and what I want is to be with you. I want to spend the rest of my life with you, Alex. I don't care where we go or what we do – I just want us to be together."

Alex sat his coffee cup on the side of the tub and stood. Walter handed him a towel.

"I want that too, Walter. I want to get it right this time." Alex said as he dried himself.

"You will, Alex, and so will I."

EPILOGUE

When the end came, it was almost as great a shock as the invasion. Suddenly one morning, they were just all gone. The gates to all the internment camps were left standing wide open and their absence generated almost as much fear as their appearance.

First everyone just stared at the open gate until finally one brave person stepped through and walked towards the building. Someone screamed for him to come back or he'd be burned but he went on. Feeding time had come and gone and everyone was milling around in the yard. The barracks had always been locked at night but left unlocked during the day to give them access to the fenced in areas.

It was soon discovered that the aliens were gone; all of them. The people screamed and yelled and celebrated and started carefully out of the enclosure. Someone got in one of the trucks and drove into town and came back a short time later to tell everyone that town was deserted. Not an alien was to be found anywhere. This scene was played out at every internment camp all over the world. The aliens were gone and the people were once again free.

The world slowly came alive again. Notices were printed up and dropped by airplanes telling people that the danger had passed.

Once they had been able to restore communications, only then could they realize the exact magnitude of their crisis – and it was massive. The population of the United States alone had been taken down twenty-five percent. Many had been burned in the first few days, some died in the internment camps and some from the struggle for survival from the four years of Alien rule.

And now it was time to pick up the pieces and move on. Few Governors survived, several ex-governors were brought out of retirement and pressed into service which they readily accepted and set about bringing some sort of order to each state and assessing the extent of the damage. Where Governors were not available, the President appointed someone to take over the duties.

It was the same with the military. Officers were found scattered across the country who had been either on leave or just in civilian clothes and caught on to what was happening and managed to stay alive. They were immediately sent out to each state capitol to organize some sort of order among the population and assist the Governors in what ever they needed.

THREE MONTHS LATER

Three months later all the bodies had been buried, head counts had been made and the extent of the tragedy was finally known. It was announced in all the media and the entire country was in a state of shock for a time but they soon rallied and got back to the business of a working thriving country. There was no un-employment now. There were jobs to be had by anyone who was willing to work and that was about ninety five percent of the population.

Some were unable to work and would have to be taken care of the rest of their lives but that was normal in any society. The farmers were back in their fields, the ranchers were back to herding their cattle, bakers and cooks were back in their kitchens, and industries were starting up all over again

The reason for the alien 'visit' became obvious soon enough. All over the world, warehouses, large empty buildings were found to hold huge numbers of empty shells. Apparently, the aliens needed a nesting place where hundreds of thousands of eggs had sat until maturity. A few had not hatched and were in laboratories all over the world being studied. Something had made them come to earth for this nesting period and the scientists were determined to find out what it was so they could be sure it never happened again.

It was as though the country had just taken a four year nap and was only now slowly awakening. Everyone stretched, rolled up their sleeves and got back to the business of living.

THE END


End file.
